July 14, 2017 at 5:25 p.m.
Campbell, Davis earn titles
Campbell, Davis earn titles
Practice and experience pay off.
Alli Campbell andAsilyn Davis proved that Thursday afternoon.
Both girls learned from their previous entries in their respective supreme showmanship competitions, with Campbell taking the large animal title while Davis earned the trophy for small animals at the Jay County Fair.
It was the second, and final,attempt for Campbell, a 10-year 4-H member who also represented the swine barn in the large animal supreme showmanship contest last year.
“It feels wonderful,” said Campbell, a 2017 Jay County High School graduate and the only 10-year 4-H member in the large animal competition. “I mean, it’s kind of surprising, it’s a shock, but I tried really hard. I gave it my all.”
The other seven competitors — Rachel Heitkamp (dairy goat), Carissa Mercer (dairy), Adam Muhlenkamp (dairy beef), Gabi Paxson (sheep) Tucker Pearson (beef), Riata Rouch (horse) and Skye Wimmer (meat goat) — will all have a chance to return next year.
For Davis, a JCHS sophomore, the third time was the charm. The six-year 4-H member had advanced through the poultry contest at each of the last two county fairs.
“I didn’t think it was going to be me,” said Davis, “and then it’s like, ‘Hey, you won.’”
She knocked off Harley Rittenhouse (dog), Carla Dick (cat) and ShyAnn Harker (rabbit).
Supreme showmanship pits the advanced showmanship winners from each barn against each other. The participants — four in small animal and eight in large — must show each of the species except for the one from which they advanced. They are also unfamiliar with their specific animals, which are assigned by the luck of the draw.
Both winners had their challenges on the day.
For Campbell, it came in the form of a rambunctious sheep that escaped her grasp shortly after she entered the ring. But, with some help from the judge, she was able to wrangle the animal and worked the rest of the time to keep it under control.
Composure was key.
“When it got loose, I want to cry when I get frustrated, so it was really hard for me not to do that,” Campbell said. “But I just had to keep calm because I knew if I was calm the lamb would be calm.”
Davis drew a docile cat, unlike her fellow small animal competitors, but had her issues with the canine competition. Her dog was simply uninterested in staying put when he was supposed to or running in the correct pattern.
Again, staying calm kept her headed in the right direction.
“You just kind of have to work with it,” said Davis. “You have to adapt to its situation and get it under control. You just have to be confident and hold your animal.”
Multiple supreme showmanship judges agreed that having an uncooperative animal isn’t ideal, but what’s more important is how the 4-H members handle those difficult situations.
Having been through an extended showmanship competition just to make it to Thursday’s event, Campbell said the strength of the swine barn pushed her to be her best. On Monday, she eked out a win over fellow 10-year member Deanna Chenoweth in a tight swine showmanship battle.
“It helped me mentally prepare myself,” said Campbell. “I’ve got to get in the zone, I realized. I can’t talk to anyone. I’ve got to prepare myself to be serious and justconcentrate, because if I lose focus my animal loses focus and it just goes downhill.
“So I think Deanna really did push me. I knew I was going to have tough competition to make it through.”
Davis credited her experience, saying she had no clue what she was doing the first time she advanced to supreme showmanship two years ago as she only shows in the poultry competition. But this year, she knew what to expect and had practiced with the other species.
Though the individual animal was troublesome Thursday, Campbell has shown sheep occasionally — she tried it in year one and wasn’t a fan but returned this year to show a yearling with her sister, Chloe — in addition to swine during her 4-H tenure. She has also participated in sewing projects.
For her, the win was the perfect way to end a career.
“It’s a good way to finish it out,” she said.
Alli Campbell and
Both girls learned from their previous entries in their respective supreme showmanship competitions, with Campbell taking the large animal title while Davis earned the trophy for small animals at the Jay County Fair.
It was the second, and final,
“It feels wonderful,” said Campbell, a 2017 Jay County High School graduate and the only 10-year 4-H member in the large animal competition. “I mean, it’s kind of surprising, it’s a shock, but I tried really hard. I gave it my all.”
The other seven competitors — Rachel Heitkamp (dairy goat), Carissa Mercer (dairy), Adam Muhlenkamp (dairy beef), Gabi Paxson (sheep) Tucker Pearson (beef), Riata Rouch (horse) and Skye Wimmer (meat goat) — will all have a chance to return next year.
For Davis, a JCHS sophomore, the third time was the charm. The six-year 4-H member had advanced through the poultry contest at each of the last two county fairs.
“I didn’t think it was going to be me,” said Davis, “and then it’s like, ‘Hey, you won.’”
She knocked off Harley Rittenhouse (dog), Carla Dick (cat) and ShyAnn Harker (rabbit).
Supreme showmanship pits the advanced showmanship winners from each barn against each other. The participants — four in small animal and eight in large — must show each of the species except for the one from which they advanced. They are also unfamiliar with their specific animals, which are assigned by the luck of the draw.
Both winners had their challenges on the day.
For Campbell, it came in the form of a rambunctious sheep that escaped her grasp shortly after she entered the ring. But, with some help from the judge, she was able to wrangle the animal and worked the rest of the time to keep it under control.
Composure was key.
“When it got loose, I want to cry when I get frustrated, so it was really hard for me not to do that,” Campbell said. “But I just had to keep calm because I knew if I was calm the lamb would be calm.”
Davis drew a docile cat, unlike her fellow small animal competitors, but had her issues with the canine competition. Her dog was simply uninterested in staying put when he was supposed to or running in the correct pattern.
Again, staying calm kept her headed in the right direction.
“You just kind of have to work with it,” said Davis. “You have to adapt to its situation and get it under control. You just have to be confident and hold your animal.”
Multiple supreme showmanship judges agreed that having an uncooperative animal isn’t ideal, but what’s more important is how the 4-H members handle those difficult situations.
Having been through an extended showmanship competition just to make it to Thursday’s event, Campbell said the strength of the swine barn pushed her to be her best. On Monday, she eked out a win over fellow 10-year member Deanna Chenoweth in a tight swine showmanship battle.
“It helped me mentally prepare myself,” said Campbell. “I’ve got to get in the zone, I realized. I can’t talk to anyone. I’ve got to prepare myself to be serious and just
“So I think Deanna really did push me. I knew I was going to have tough competition to make it through.”
Davis credited her experience, saying she had no clue what she was doing the first time she advanced to supreme showmanship two years ago as she only shows in the poultry competition. But this year, she knew what to expect and had practiced with the other species.
Though the individual animal was troublesome Thursday, Campbell has shown sheep occasionally — she tried it in year one and wasn’t a fan but returned this year to show a yearling with her sister, Chloe — in addition to swine during her 4-H tenure. She has also participated in sewing projects.
For her, the win was the perfect way to end a career.
“It’s a good way to finish it out,” she said.
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