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Not sheepish about showing |
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Friday, 03 August 2007 |
 Sierra Vondenheuvel accepts her trophy after receiving the title of the 2007 Showman of Showmen on Thursday night. (Staff photo/ William Laney)
Top sheep showman earns Showman of Showmen title
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
Many of 2007 Auglaize County Fair’s top showmen disagree on the type of livestock hardest to show after competing in the Showman of Showmen Sweepstakes.
Sierra Vondenheuvel, who earned the title of Showman of Showmen following the sweepstakes Thursday before a crowded Show Arena, said she thought the hogs proved to be the hardest to show during the competition.
“I think it’s fun,” 2007 Sheep Showman said before being named the fair’s top showman.
John Brown, the 2007 Poultry Showman, said he thought it was the dairy cattle. Top Goat Showman Natalie Barns named the chickens.
hardest to show. Dairy Showman Lydia Rinehart listed the sheep and horses as hardest to show.
The only animals absent from the list — the steers and rabbits.
Those animals could have easily been on the list of Swine Showman Falon Risener, Rabbit Showman Alyssa Krisher or Horse Showman Lana Hoffman, who also competed in Thursday’s event.
Throughout the show, sheep got loose and ran near the judge’s stand while another sheep nibbled its exhibitor’s hand.
One goat arrived by golf cart as its exhibitor waited for the animal to arrive so she could enter the ring.
One hog decided to lay down in the middle of the ring, and exhibitors used some nudging and tugging to get steer to move.
Many of the exhibitors laughed despite their visible frustration to position animals they had never handled prior to Thursday event. Some of the animals vocalized how they felt about the situation.
The Showman of Showmen Sweepstakes pits the top showmen in each of eight livestock divisions — providing each exhibitor a chance to try his or her hands at showing the different animals.
The scores from each animal are combined for the total, with the teenager with the highest overall score winning a plaque in memory of Gerald Gibson, a longtime 4-H adviser with Moulton Lucky Livestock. Each participant received a plaque.
The highest score possible for each animal was 14, which is given to the previously named top showman in that category. Points go down by two for each place after that.
Vondenheuvel said she thought her previous experience competing last year in the sweepstakes helped her earn the title this year.
Despite having a little more background with some of the animals, she said hogs were hard because she didn’t have anything to hold onto when she was showing them.
The 18-year-old from Wapakoneta said the award means a lot because showmanship is something her father always stresses.
“He always thought it was important if you were going to present a good animal,” said Vondenheuval, who has one more year left of 4-H.
Risener said growing up and taking 4-H projects showmanship was definitely something her father always stressed, too.
“To me, showmanship is a big thing,” Risener said. “It’s the whole reason I’ve come to the fair since I started showing.
“Showmanship is a reflection on you as a person,” she said. “You never know, it may be someone’s dad going out in the barn and feeding the pig every day, but when you’re in the ring showing, it shows you take pride in what you bring to the fair.”
Risener, 19, of Waynesfield, said she spent part of two days going around to other livestock barns asking questions about showing the different animals so she would be prepared for Thursday’s competition. She said she felt a responsibility to learn what she was doing and not to look like an idiot.
While she would not describe showing the different animals as hard, Risener said it was challenging since she has never shown anything but hogs.
Brown, 17, of Spencerville, said he thought the competition proved to be a lot of fun.
While he has had experience showing more than just poultry, with hog, goat and rabbit projects in the past, he said it was still a little hard. Brown said even though the 4-Hers were competing for the top showman award at the fair, they still looked out for each other in offering any help they could.
Barns, 17, of Waynesfield, said she spent time prior to the competition asking other animal showman for advice.
“It’s fun getting to try everything, to experience what everyone else does and to see what’s different,” Barns said.
Muir, also 17 of Waynesfield, gained some experience with the different animals competing last year, but she said there is definitely a difference when it comes to showing them, compared to her beef cattle.
To those showing in the sweepstakes in the future, she says “good luck.”
“It is very challenging,” Muir said. “You need to get with people so you know what you’re doing out there.”
Krisher, 18, of Wapakoneta, experienced some trouble with the animals she showed, particularly a hog that laid down in the middle of the ring, but that it was just another learning experience, which is what 4-H is all about. In her last year, Krisher said she is glad she got the full experience.
Rinehart, 17, of Wapakoneta, said she gained some experience this year that she hopes helps her in the future. Two older sisters — Abby Rinehart in 2004 and Carrie Rinehart in 2006, won the competition.
“It was fun,” Rinehart said. “I’ve watched my sisters do it before so it was a fun experience.” |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 03 August 2007 )
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