Photos courtesy of Corrin Maestas
David McCallister, left, and Pedro Maestas, right, recently took home the win in the No. 14.5 category championship in the World Series of Team Roping

“It feels like a dream — a dream that has come true,” Maestas said.

Maestas, a Tomé resident, won the championship in the No. 14.5 category at the World Series of Team Roping in Las Vegas, Nev., recently, with his teammate and friend, David McCallister.

“It is fun to win,” Maestas said. “To do it with a great friend and in front of friends and family makes it even better.”

Sitting in second-place before their final ride, the Valencia County duo needed a 7.37-second mark to take over first place.

The duo grabbed the top spot with a time of 6.58 seconds.

Maestas and McCallister’s total time of 28.41 seconds scored them the win in the No. 14.5 finale out of 24 teams.

“It is finally starting to sink in, I guess,” Maestas said. “You know, you work hard at something and come up short every year, but then to break through, like I said it feels like a dream.”

For McCallister, a Bosque Farms resident, he shares the same sentiment.

“Our families and friends were there that have supported us all the way since we were kids,” McCallister said. “So, emotions were high all weekend, so there was a lot of cheering after we won.”

“We’ve been trying for eight to 10 years to try to win it,” McCallister said. “To win, it was great. It was a great feeling.”

Pedro Maestas and David McCallister on their final ride during the 2021 Finale of the World Series of Team Roping in Las Vegas, Nev.

Maestas grew up around horses, but his passion for roping took off when he was 15 years old.

“I was at the Bosque Farms Arena playing baseball, and my brother was over in the arena area participating in a roping competition,” Maestas said. “Once I finished my game, I walked over to watch the competition.

“They asked me if I would fill in for a friend of ours, so I said ‘sure’ and got on the horse with all of my baseball gear still on.

“I won $700 that day, and thought ‘this is cool,’” Maestas said. “After that, I just kept going and roping and it has turned into a lifestyle really.”

Maestas and McCallister met when they were kids at a roping competition is Belen.

“Pedro was one of the first I met when I got into this,” McCallister said. “I got into other sports in high school, but once we got out, we started back into roping and have been doing it together ever since.”

Maestas and his wife now raise horses at their home in Tomé, and he doesn’t regret going after roping instead of baseball.

“I was good at baseball. I made All-Star teams, and was really good. I feel though I made the right choice, and it has turned out good for me,” Maestas said. “If I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a single thing.”

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Adam Evarts is a graduate of the University of New Mexico where he studied journalism and history. He has lived in Valencia County most of his life. Adam covers sports for the Valencia County News-Bulletin, including prep competitions for the three local high schools, Senior Olympics, rodeo, Little League and more.