Youth demonstrate showmanship at Big Butler Fair
FRANKLIN TWP — More than 20 youth strutted their goats, cattle and sheep Friday, July 7, in the 4H & FFA Master Showman Contest at the Big Butler Fair.
“Each exhibitor in 4H & FFA, from 8 to 21 years old, is going to show all kinds of different species — so they’ll show a goat, a sheep, a beef cow and a dairy cow,” said Amanda Priscilla, committee leader.
Competitor Morgan Teets, 16, said Master Showmanship challenges exhibitors to show off animals they have not previously practiced with.
“It’s basically about how well you can control the animal,” Morgan said. “Which is different here, this one is Master Showmanship, you can’t bring your own animal so you have to try and work with another animal.”
A veteran of the competition, Morgan has won Grand Champion Overall, Reserve Grand Champion Market Steer and Grand Champion Steer at the fair — as well as various competitions around the country.
“(The judge) is looking for their feet in the right placement at the end, that the animal looks good and how you position your body,” Morgan said.
And while many of the exhibitors are no strangers to showmanship, for some it was their first time working with cattle, sheep and goats.
“Some of our exhibitors have only ever shown a rabbit or a horse, so for some, this is a really different experience,” Priscilla said. “Then, some of them have only ever shown sheep, and so they’ll show something as a big as a beef cow or a dairy cow — so it just gives them an opportunity to show different species without having to own them.”
Kennedy Kunzler, 10, said it was her first time participating in the competition.
“I wanted to try the cows,” she said. “Just to try something new.”
Kennedy said she previously has shown sheep, but had never shown goats, beef cows or dairy cows.
“Those are really big — you have to have a stick to move their feet,” she said of the cows.
But size mattered little for Kennedy, saying she was confident she could do it.
“For showmanship, it’s just on how you show it,” Kennedy said.
Mackenzie Schultheis, 11, said this was her second year participating in the competition and that her first try was “pretty nerve-wracking.”
“But after you realize what you’re doing, you get a really good hang of it,” Mackenzie said. “It doesn’t take that long to learn, and it’s really easy to do once you do it a lot.”
The trick, Priscilla said, really is showmanship.
“Somebody who’s attentive to the judge, who smiles — they’re gonna do well,” she said. “Being well aware of their surroundings in the ring, their sportsmanship, those are the principles that will generally do pretty well.”
But the competition is not all about winning, she added.
“It teaches them to have a good work ethic,” Priscilla said. “It teaches them to be flexible under pressure, it gives them an experience with new things and the kids have a lot of fun.”
The competition has held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with judges Robin Wright and Tom Uber announcing the final scores Friday evening.
“I hope everyone has a really fun time,” Priscilla said. “We’re a very relaxed and fun environment here.”
