Maelee Wade is one determined lady.
A cowgirl from Georgia, she made headlines by winning the 2023 World Champions Rodeo Alliance (WCRA) Rodeo Carolina. Not only did she take home $25,000, but she reminded folks roping talent goes far beyond the western states with a smoking 2.45 second run.
Wade grew up in a rodeo family, with her parents both competing in high school and amateur rodeo events. While her dad focused on rough stock and bulldogging, her mom ran barrels, rode cutting horses, and tied goats. They also both shared a love for team roping.
During her childhood, she team roped with her parents at jackpots and was also very involved in junior rodeo, competing in multiple events. Ironically, Wade tried breakaway roping, and wasn’t very good at it. With her competitive spirit, she decided to not spend any more time on the breakaway and instead kept her focus on pursuing barrel racing, goat tying, pole bending and team roping.
The breakaway bug came back during her 6th grade year, and she started roping the dummy and sled at her house. The following year, she entered some junior rodeos and made the National Junior High School Finals as a 7th grader. In her 8th grade year, she came close to winning nationals by going into the short go in first and finishing in 8th place overall. In addition, that same summer she was able to compete in the short go of the Little Britches finals and wound-up 4th in the average for the year end. Her roping kept improving and by the following year, she won the Roy Cooper 15 and under—and by then she was hooked on the breakaway.
She recently sold her horse Otis who carried her to the win at Rodeo Carolina in Tryon and helped her in the three-man round of the Cowtown Christmas Championship and 2 IPRA Reserve World Championship’s. Looking to the future, Wade has several horses she will be hauling this year. Smoke is a seven-year-old gelding who hasn’t been hauled as extensively but is off to a hot start, most recently carrying her to the average win at the PCA finals in Biloxi, MS. She also just picked up a new mare named Queen who has already proven she is a great addition to the team.
A firm believer in hard work and never settling, Wade starts each day with determination and brings her best to each moment with her equine partners. She may have inherited some interest and skill from her rodeo parents, but it is her great love for roping that drives her endless desire to just rope. She ropes every day, whether it’s the sled or calves, and approaches each practice session with the mindset of trying to be better than the day before. 2023 was her toughest year, both physically and mentally, but Wade stuck with it and worked hard to keep her focus extra sharp, and surely 2024 will be her best year yet.
Lately, Wade has been busy traveling, from competing at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, OK, with a chance for a million dollar win through the WCRA and then competing in the International Finals Rodeo (IFR), (also in Guthrie) which she has done for the last 4 years.
Wade considers her opportunity to represent the east coast a special privilege and is excited to see the sport grow this side of the Mississippi. She also looks forward to seeing southeast rodeos start to pay better and hopes over time more jackpots will appear—in the meantime, she makes no excuses, and makes the most of every opportunity she can find, with her favorite rope in hand (a Rattler Viper 9.5).
Keep an eye out for this Georgia cowgirl!
*all photo credit to each respective photographer.
Well done! I glad you have decided to write again. You do such a good job of drawing us into your story. Thanks for the nice read.
thanks, Tony! It means a lot. I’m sure grateful it brought you into my life! Here’s to some more calf roper stories….and future stories about these Grave Ranch babies and your new adventures with them.