story by Ruth Nicolaus
Hayes Hammond is in his last year of rodeo in the Nebraska Junior High School Rodeo Association.
The Valentine, Neb. resident competes in the goat tying, ribbon roping, team roping, breakaway roping and chute dogging. In the team roping, he heels for Summer Richardson, who is also his roper in the ribbon roping.
He rides two horses, both gruellas. Jamaica, a mare, is his breakaway horse. Concho, a registered paint horse, is his goat tying and team roping horse. Concho is a “fun goober friend,” as Hayes describes him. “He tends to waller around on you, walk into places he’s not supposed to, when he knows he’s not supposed to.” Jamaica is high energy , “friendly, and up in your face.”
Hayes is a student at Valentine Middle School, where the best part of the day is getting to see his friends and hang out with them. He enjoys Algebra I class, and loves to solve equations and do difficult problems. His favorite teacher was Mr. Graham, his seventh grade social studies and computer teacher. Mr. Graham “made things easier and less complicated than they were,” Hayes said. “He was funny and fun to talk to about anything.”
Hayes plays basketball, is on the student council, and the high honor roll.
His favorite thing to do, when he’s not riding, rodeoing, or playing basketball, is hanging out with his friends. He loves the school’s lunch of chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, and the tater tot hot dish. The best meal his mom makes is spaghetti, and he loves Oreos for snacks. His favorite drinks are fruit punch Gatorade or Mountain Dew. He loved being at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo. last summer with his friends. They spent time at the recreation center in Gillette, which had a rock climbing wall, two huge indoor swimming pools, and tennis and basketball courts.
The family has two dogs: Bandit, a Corgi who “tends to destroy a lot of things,” Hayes said, including rugs, pet beds, clothes, and even the woodwork in the house. They also have another dog, Rez.
His mom Kathy loves to watch her son grow up. “He has so many great qualities,” she said. “I see every day how he has shaped himself into an amazing young man. He is so truly thoughtful, respectful, caring, and that mischievous smile of his always keeps us on our toes.”
Hayes competed at the state finals both his sixth and seventh grade years.
He has an older sister, Sheyenne, who is eighteen. He is the son of Justin and Kathy Hammond.
