story by Riata Cummings
Peyton McCabe is a 15-year-old rodeo athlete from Cedar City, Utah. He is the son of Johnathon and Amanda McCabe and is the youngest of three children. His older sister Haylee is 22 and his brother Connor is 19. They enjoy going camping, riding, and hunting as a family. Peyton will attend Canyon View High School this fall, and he is looking forward to the less restrictive environment in high school. He enjoys riding his dirt bike and competing in the light rifle shooting contest through rodeo.
Peyton began competing at the end of his 7th grade year, introduced to the sport by a friend of his father. He loves that the rodeo atmosphere is filled with, “kind, social people who are happy to be there and are having fun. It makes you want to go that much more.” Peyton’s scores have gone from low 200’s to low 300’s, finishing 3rd in every round at the state finals and finishing 5th overall this year. He has set a goal to push himself to surpass his own high scores and is considering expanding to compete in the trap shooting contest as well.
Competing in the shooting has exposed Peyton to a sort of hidden talent and has given him an appreciation for the power of firearms. Witnessing and participating in all the safety procedures of the contest has reinforced the truth that, “guns aren’t a joke and they need to be treated carefully.” Peyton prepares for the contest by maintaining his equipment, checking the sights of his gun and practicing before each shoot.
One of Peyton’s heroes is Elon Musk, the founder, CEO, and lead designer of SpaceX. The entrepreneur and engineer inspires Peyton, who says, “He is insanely smart, but not only that. He is infatuated with space and technology, just like me. Watching his creations gives me ideas for new ones. He keeps me thinking.” When Peyton grows up, he would like to be an engineer for SpaceX or NASA. Another of his heroes is his father, who diligently attends Peyton’s shoots and helps him practice and prepare. One day Peyton would like to leave a legacy of ingenuity, as a person, “who was always searching for a better solution, a better way to do things.” He continued, “I want to be remembered as someone who gave 100% in everything, someone who did something important with their life.”
“Friends come and go, but family stays forever.” This statement rings true for him and reminds him that, “people change but your family changes for you.” He would like to thank his family for being a constant support. He would like to thank his teachers that challenge him to do better, putting in effort to help him learn.