Walker Hayes, Family Finish 366 Days of Trick Shots: A Worthwhile ‘Grind’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Country artist Walker Hayes and his family have finished 366 days of trick shots — tossing objects to land in difficult positions — and it’s been an unforgettable “grind.”
“He and his three sons, Chapel, 16, Baylor, 14, and Beckett, 12, are all avid fans of the trick-shot artistry that’s a mainstay on social media, and last year, they decided to try coming up with their own,” PEOPLE reported. “The formula is simple: Brave souls rely on bountiful amounts of luck and skill to pull off a jaw-dropping feat, usually with common household items or sports equipment. Viewers are spared the hours of failed attempts, of course. Instead, they get to savor the sweet miracle of success, along with the trick-shot artists’ wild celebration.”
“I just thought, hey, it’s easy to post,” Hayes told PEOPLE. “Everybody likes it. The boys were excited. It was kind of early summer, and the weather was really nice. So yeah, it just made sense. Let’s do an entire year.”
As the whole family got in on the shots, the fun became more of a “grind.”
“Determined to persist, all eight family members hunkered down, devising new tricks of varying difficulty and complexity, which they then pulled off everywhere they went: at their lake house south of Nashville and the construction site nearby of their new home, on the tour bus they all share, backstage in the arenas where Hayes was performing, in store aisles, hotel rooms, mall food courts, public parks, workout facilities, restaurants, airports, swimming pools, school gymnasiums, even on their mission trip earlier this year to Rwanda,” PEOPLE Said.
Then, the “grind” became a life lesson.
“I truly feel like colleges or high schools should do a trick-shot class,” Hayes said. “It taught my family — and Laney would agree — more than any class we’ve ever taken.”
The goal for each day is set, then comes failure and frustration, but at last, sweet fruition.
“It’s a metaphor for everything beautiful and meaningful to me in life,” says Hayes. “Anything that’s incredible — like marriage, having children, chasing a dream, my relationship with the Lord — none of it comes in just eternal bliss. Most of it is a lot of struggle.”
“At first you’re like, oh, I want to get the shot,” he says. “I want to be the one that hits the cup. But an hour in, you’re like, I will literally celebrate if anyone gets it, and I will say that I was on the team and take credit for that. You’re just rooting for the team.”
The singer takes pride in the responsibility his children have developed through their trick shot resolution.
“It’s been amazing watching my boys,” he says. “By the time we got to probably 250, I just noticed they started to take charge. I kind of vanished, for the most part, unless I was doing one with them.”
“They just looked at it like, ‘Hey, this is what we do every day. Let’s get it.’ Some days I’d come home from a long day, and Laney would say, ‘Oh, we got a trick shot at the park,” the “Fancy Like” singer explained.
Hayes notes some pretty hard days when things didn’t go right. Tears were shed due to time constraints and filming issues.
Movieguide® previously reported on Hayes’s trick shot journey:
“I mean, I fail miserably. Yesterday, I threw a plastic chair and my kids made fun of me all day for it. And I love that they did. We were doing a trick shot, and I couldn’t get it,” Hayes said.
“I threw a plastic chair against a tree and just destroyed it,” he added. “And it made me feel better. But listen, I hope people see me now at least just trying and feeling inspired to try. Let’s just try together.
On a day when no trick shot had been performed and Hayes felt like giving up, 10-year-old Loxley saved the day.
“She had set up her own trick shot,” he says. “She had taped some things to the ceiling and threw a ping-pong ball up, and it went down a little slide and into a cup. And she did it. She saved the family that night.”
“She kept the streak alive. It got us all through a really tough night, and we stayed committed. Honestly, it inspired me. You know, I was going, OK, my little girl’s on board. Am I gonna give up?” he said.
The family of eight finished their trick shot finale with each member tossing a water bottle in an upright position simultaneously.
Now, after 366 days (Leap Day not to be forgotten) of trick shots, the family of eight is officially done with them.
“Honestly, it’s been like everything else incredible in life,” Walker said. “It hasn’t been paradise. It hasn’t been bliss. It has been very hard. It’s been a struggle. But it’s been an adventure of a lifetime.”
Hayes’ “Same Drunk Tour” kicks off today, May 30. The singer will perform across the U.S. until September. Special guest artists will include Kylie Morgan and Matt Schuster.
Morgan shared her excitement to tour with Hayes last month:
One of my very first cowrites in Nashville at 15 years old, was with @walkerhayes. He has not only been a big brother & mentor to me but the definition of perseverance. The first tour I ever was an opener for was Walker’s first headlining tour, playing the venues that I am now headlining this year. & now my first ever direct support slot on a major tour. ? Saying this is full circle would be an understatement. I could not be more proud & humbled to support this insanely talented & kind human on tour this spring!! Truly, a dream come true. Huge thank you to Walk & the entire Hayes family for always believing in me. 13 years later, same us & SAME DRUNK TOUR, HERE WE COME! ???
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