When Shad Mayfield announced he wouldn’t be able to attend the 2024 Cinch Timed Event Championship just shy of one month before the first performance, youth and budding ProRodeo all-around sensation, 20-year-old Dylan Hancock literally got the call.
“(Lazy E General Manager) Dan Wall called me and asked if I could be ready and if I felt prepared,” Hancock said. “I told him I was ready for the battle.”
That might be an understatement—Hancock’s been preparing for that phone call his entire life. The son of tie-down roper Shane Hancock, Dylan was raised in San Angelo, Texas, cutting his teeth alongside both some of the country’s toughest up-and-comers and seasoned professionals.
Like many from the San Angelo area, Hancock’s jam since his youth rodeo days has been the tie-down roping, but he stood out as a diversified competitor from his earliest competitive years. Hancock notched all-around titles at the Cinch World Championship Junior Rodeo and International Finals Youth Rodeo before making an appearance at the Jr. Ironman competition.
Hancock stayed true to his calf roper ways when he entered the ProRodeo ranks as well. In 2023, he earned $74,998 in the PRCA regular season roping calves, landing him No. 19 in the world standings and No. 1 in the Resistol Rookie of the Year race during his first full season of ProRodeo. He also left the ring with the 2023 Resistol Rookie of the Year title in the all-around thanks to his efforts in heeling, steer wrestling and steer roping throughout the year.
When Hancock isn’t chasing ProRodeo dollars, he’s attending school at Cisco College and competing in the collegiate ranks. He qualified for his first CNFR in 2023 during his freshman season in the heeling.
Competing in Guthrie will make Hancock the second-youngest CTEC competitor in history, just one year older than 2021 Ironman champion Marcus Theriot was at his first installment. He will also be the second Jr. Ironman competitor to return as an Ironman hopeful—preceded only by Haven Meged at his previous appearance in the accomplishment.
One horse is locked in for certain for the event—Hancock’s 16-year-old “Earl,” the bay gelding who has faithfully carried him to the winner’s circle for multiple years. The rest of the roster is a bit of a work-in-progress.
“I’m getting after it now,” Hancock said. “I’ve been making phone calls nonstop trying to get help and horses lined out, it’s all moving really quickly.”
Hancock’s already proven through his ProRodeo and collegiate success that he won’t let first-timer status hold him back in any capacity, and he’s confident the pieces will fall into place before Feb. 29 in Guthrie. All that matters is that he’s getting the chance to nod his head alongside the toughest men in the sport.
“Since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to have a chance to throw my name in the hat and compete at the Ironman someday,” Hancock said. “So, this is a dream come true. I’m pumped.”
