story by Riata Cummings
Small town Tabiona, Utah, is home to the 17-year-old cowboy, Hayes Giles. Hayes is the son of Kim and Jenny Giles. He has a sister McKall, brother Lex and a brother-in-law Kaylen. They enjoy spending time together rodeoing, hunting, or going boating. Hayes is a senior at Tabiona High School. He plays on the High School Basketball team, is the seminary council president, is involved in National FFA Organization, and is on the honor roll. His favorite subjects include mathematics and mechanics. Hayes hopes to serve an LDS mission upon graduating. After returning he will be going to college and is considering pursuing a career as a mechanical engineer. Hayes’s hobbies include roping, basketball, hunting, shed horn hunting and mechanics.
Hayes’ Dad’s family owns and operates a cattle ranch in Tabiona. Hayes’s mother and her siblings roped, as did his father. Hayes fell in love with the sport at a young age and competed in his first rodeo in Vernal, Utah. The atmosphere and adrenaline at that Jr High rodeo was enough to have him hooked. Today, Hayes competes in the tiedown roping and team roping, his favorite being the tiedown. His uncle Chad competed in the tiedown event at nationals, and Hayes has the determination to improve and hopes to accomplish that goal, also. He loves the one on one aspect of the event and pushes himself to improve. His calf horse Cowboy is a high caliber, well trained machine, and the two of them always work well together. Hayes heels on a horse he trained, Texas, who stops hard and helps him do his job.
Dedicated to his sport, Hayes practices every day, alternating between tiedown roping and team roping. Last year he was third at the Panguitch Invitational in the team roping, and finished state as one of the top 15 tiedown ropers, qualifying for the Silver State Invitational Rodeo.This year, he knows that if he focuses on each run and constantly improving, top 4 is within reach. Hayes never lets the ability of others influence his roping, focusing on making good, consistent runs. He strives to be a friendly, easy to talk to guy and he genuinely cares about those around him. He tries to make others happy and would give the shirt off his back to help someone in need.
Hayes’s hero is his father, who taught him how to work and is always supportive of Hayes. His dad would do anything to see Hayes improve, and helps him with his daily practice. Every time Hayes walks in the box, his dad reminds him that no one is going to hand him the win, he has to go take it. Like many rodeo contestants, Hayes sometimes battles his head in the arena. However, rodeo has taught him how to conquer doubts and push through trials. It has taught him to have the faith to keep going and the self- reliance to be competitive. He would like to thank those people that have helped him become the competitive roper that he is. He would advise rodeo contestants to work hard and become mentally strong. He knows that if you believe in yourself and trust in the man upstairs, anything is possible.
