Kaycee Feild had just put the finishing touches on his record-setting fourth-consecutive National Finals Rodeo bareback riding title with a final-night performance that brought a packed Thomas & Mack Center crowd to its feet and roaring with applause.
NFR 2021
Feild, a Utah native and son of Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer Lewis Feild, stood there soaking it all in. The younger Feild had spent most of his life traveling the rodeo circuit, having realized at a young age how important it was for cowboys to bring their best to Las Vegas each December—which he did on that memorable night in 2014.
“Honestly, my brain was rattling, because that place was so loud,” Feild, now 34, remembers. “That sound, that feeling, it sticks out in my career.”
NFR returns to Las Vegas December 2-11 at the Thomas & Mack Center after spending 2020 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, due to Nevada’s pandemic restrictions. Fans will be required to wear masks at this year’s event, but there’s no vaccine requirement, and capacity crowds are anticipated.
Feild, one of the most decorated competitors in NFR history, says the Thomas & Mack remains hallowed ground in rodeo. The fans are virtually right on top of the competitors, he says, providing a more intimate feel than at other, more spread-out, venues.
That energy has brought out the best in him over the years, he explains. “Nothing compares to the Thomas & Mack Center and the presence of the NFR. It’s better than any Las Vegas show on the Strip.”
The pandemic changed life for athletes across all sports last year with interrupted competition dates, altered training regimens and empty stadiums among the challenges. It was no different in rodeo.
Feild found himself with unanticipated downtime in 2020 but ended up making the most of it. Last year’s NFR took place in the weeks before the rollout of the COVID vaccine, which changed the scope of the event significantly. Outside appearances were scratched over safety concerns, meaning Field went just from hotel to stadium—over and over on a nightly basis.
“During the day, we weren’t allowed to go anywhere. We were secluded,” he says. “For the first time in 13 years, I felt relaxed and comfortable.”
Feild captured the bareback riding title again in 2020, his fifth overall and first since 2014.
Schedules will mostly be returning to normal this year in Las Vegas with appearances, parties and concerts up and down the Strip between the actual rodeo sessions—but not for Feild. After last year’s success, he plans to continue taking it easy between rounds.
He’s in contention for the title again, having registered seven wins on the circuit throughout the year. But winning won’t be easy. The NFR gathers the top 15 contestants in bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding.
All the world-class competitors aim for the same thing as Feild—peaking at the end of the year on the sport’s biggest stage.
“It’s such a rewarding feeling to hear [the fans in Las Vegas] get excited for your performance,” Feild says.
With the exception of 2020, NFR has stopped in Las Vegas every year since 1985. The 35-year marriage has benefited the city and the rodeo, bringing millions of dollars in revenue to the area during an otherwise slow time in December and providing a fitting spectacle for the biggest event in the sport.
“Vegas rolls out the red carpet for NFR,” says Allen Rheinheimer, general manager of the NFR. “We hope to just continue to improve this event in Las Vegas every year. I’m over the moon about being back.”
Bryan Horwath contributed to this story.
NATIONAL FINALS RODEO 2021
When: December 2-11, 5:45-8:15 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
Tickets: $76 for single-day seats, nfrexperience.com.
Shuttle: The free Teton Ridge NFR Express has 14 routes covering the Las Vegas Convention Center and 24 host hotel properties. It hits all parts of the Valley, ranging from Sam’s Town in east Las Vegas to the Plaza Downtown. It runs daily from 4 p.m., pausing from 6-8:15 p.m. during the event and then running until 9:45 p.m.
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