Just passing this along and sharing. Steve Gunn judged and his first question in the prelims he asked our son was "Tell me about your calf" and in the finals for Sr he asked and this is the theme of the question not a comple quote...What can you do to promote the cattle industry and get new people involved in it? Thought they gave the child the chance to really excell or not based on their speaking and thought skills. He did a good job and congrats to Morgan Thompson on her Championship and to Jade Sills on her Reserve Championship. (clapping)
Sr. Showmanship question at Indiana State Fair
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Ok...I'm prob gonna open a can of worms by throwing this out there, and that's not really my intention. Maybe I'm not real sure how I feel about the subject & I'm just thinking out loud...
I can see trying to sort a group of real strong showman based on their involvement in & their knowledge of their beef project, especially when the skills of the top showmen in a class seem pretty close to equal. I'm not sure how far you can take that interview process and still call the class "showmanship". If I'm choosing somebody to lead a calf into the ring and present the calf to it's highest degree of potential, does it matter how knowledgable that kid is about the industry or how articulate he/she is in responding to questions that don't directly support the ability to present an animal in the show ring? I absolutely support the notion that young people who want to be a part of the beef industry need to understand the issues that face the industry, and they need to be able to respond to those issues. I'm not convinced that knowledge or ability should contribute to them either earning or not earning a championship in a showmanship class. I guess it all depends on the parameters we use to define showmanship, and I think it's any capable judge's prerogative to sort a class however he sees fit. I guess I'm not real sure exactly how I feel about what criteria falls under the category of "showmanship".
Anybody else have any thoughts on that?...
I can see trying to sort a group of real strong showman based on their involvement in & their knowledge of their beef project, especially when the skills of the top showmen in a class seem pretty close to equal. I'm not sure how far you can take that interview process and still call the class "showmanship". If I'm choosing somebody to lead a calf into the ring and present the calf to it's highest degree of potential, does it matter how knowledgable that kid is about the industry or how articulate he/she is in responding to questions that don't directly support the ability to present an animal in the show ring? I absolutely support the notion that young people who want to be a part of the beef industry need to understand the issues that face the industry, and they need to be able to respond to those issues. I'm not convinced that knowledge or ability should contribute to them either earning or not earning a championship in a showmanship class. I guess it all depends on the parameters we use to define showmanship, and I think it's any capable judge's prerogative to sort a class however he sees fit. I guess I'm not real sure exactly how I feel about what criteria falls under the category of "showmanship".
Anybody else have any thoughts on that?...
leanbeef said:
When you have the level of quality in the ring for a Sr finals who all are capable of setting a calf to look it's best and you feel they can all answer the generic questions of feeding, genetics, comformation theses types of questions are more about what the long term goals are and understanding the industry you have at the end of the halter. Especially in the Senior division he seemed interested in the direction they saw the beef cattle going and how as young people they are going to step into very often the next generation of cattle breeders and showers and seeing what they had to say about promoting an avenue that just isn't getting any easier to be part of. That Senior class represented the future of the cattle breeders of the state and he asked the KIDs with the microphone to applaude the adults that have come before them to pave their way to the ring. Looks like he wanted the whole package, not just someone that can set a calf and make it look good. Showmanship is so much more than that. It is , IMO, to not only present the animal to the best of your ability with showring attributes but learning the ins and outs of everyday care that will excel your animal in the pen and understanding the trends and breeding that will keep you on a path of success. The judge also complimented how nicely turned out the kids were because he said they were promoting themselves and should look the part of being there. A little dirt on those knees certainly lets them know you have been working but a clean shirt at least shows the judge you made an effort to be there and look good.
This is a livestock project first, at least that is what you hear all the time. If these are SR's they should be some what informed, have some interest in the industry and be able to at least come up with some kind of answer. At a jackpot I bet you would never hear that kind of question, at a county fair you here them all the time.
In retrospect that is a question the Breed Associations and Beef Industries should be working on, full tilt.
In retrospect that is a question the Breed Associations and Beef Industries should be working on, full tilt.
It's not that I don't understand the reasoning behind asking questions or doing this sort of "interview" to help sort the good showmen. And I'm not trying to create a controversary or even belabor the point by being a devil's advocate here. My point is I think there is a line of questioning somewhere that makes this contest now more than a showmanship class. And maybe it all depends on your definition of "showmanship" or your version of what showmanship should be. Maybe that's evolving...I don't know. It's just a question that hit me when I read the original post.
twistedhshowstock
Well-known member
One of my favorite classes to judge is showmanship. In my 20+ yrs involved showing cattle I have seen some very unique and very tough ways of judging showmanship. I agree this is a showmanship class, so yes the showman has to have some skills on the end of the halter to win. I dont care how good a showman answers questions for me, their performance in getting a calf stuck is most important to me.
However, I can tell you and dont mind telling you why I ask questions in the show ring. For me it goes along with the "this is 1st and foremost a project so the kids should be learning something" idea, but at the same time its still all about showmanship.
The main reason I ask questions is because showmanship is SO much more than what happens in the ring. I know about a billion kids out there that I could hand the lead of any calf out there that was well broken and had been up and down the roads showin a lot, and any of those kids could go out there and get that calf stuck like a million bucks but their value as showmen ended there. I have seen a lot of cases, and actually heard people tell kids on the way in the ring "You just go out there and watch the judge and leave yourself space, she will do the rest." And sure enough those heifers had been up and down the show road so much, often times in the hands of a pro at an open show, that those kids never had to touch them. Any time they even got held up on the walk those heifers set themselves up. Now tell me, was that kid a better showmen than others, to the untrained eye it sure looked like, but to someone who has been there, I am thinking the kid probably would have had a nervous meltdown if the heifer wouldnt have set herself up, because he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
But beyond that, like I saidn isnt hard to teach someone to drag one in the ring and get their feet set. But a truly good showmen knows all aspects of showing cattle even beyond what happens in the ring. They know how to select good show prospects, they know how to feed, raise, and fit good prospects. They know how to pair a bull and a cow to produce a good show prospect. Thats all part of showing a calf, the right mating has to happen, the right calf has to hit the ground, a showman has to know what their looking for to go out and select that calf, then they have to know what their doing to feed and fit that calf right to have them at 12 oclock on show day. Thats all part of showmanship. So the reason I ask the questions, is generally if a kid is involved enough to genuinely become a good all around showman, not only will they know the answers to those questions ,but they will answer calmly, quickly, and confidently because that information is 2nd nature to them. You can generally quickly tell the kids who actually put effort into it from the kids that are just handed a calf at the gate to the show ring and drilled on how to answer questions, because those kids are generally slower to answer, stutter because they are nervous, and after answering sit there and stare at the judge wondering if they answered correctly. On the other hand kids who truly put effort into it, and know the information from experience its not so much like an interview but more like an easy flowing conversation.
Thats why I ask questions, I know some disagree with it. I understand the earlier comment about when you are selecting someone to drag your cattle in the ring you are more interested in their ability to get the cattle stuck than their knowledge. I on the other hand would only send my cattle in the ring with people that knew the cattle, thus most likely someone who worked for me etc, so when I am selecting people I am definately interested in their knowledge of aspects of the industry outside of just what happens in the show ring.
However, I can tell you and dont mind telling you why I ask questions in the show ring. For me it goes along with the "this is 1st and foremost a project so the kids should be learning something" idea, but at the same time its still all about showmanship.
The main reason I ask questions is because showmanship is SO much more than what happens in the ring. I know about a billion kids out there that I could hand the lead of any calf out there that was well broken and had been up and down the roads showin a lot, and any of those kids could go out there and get that calf stuck like a million bucks but their value as showmen ended there. I have seen a lot of cases, and actually heard people tell kids on the way in the ring "You just go out there and watch the judge and leave yourself space, she will do the rest." And sure enough those heifers had been up and down the show road so much, often times in the hands of a pro at an open show, that those kids never had to touch them. Any time they even got held up on the walk those heifers set themselves up. Now tell me, was that kid a better showmen than others, to the untrained eye it sure looked like, but to someone who has been there, I am thinking the kid probably would have had a nervous meltdown if the heifer wouldnt have set herself up, because he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
But beyond that, like I saidn isnt hard to teach someone to drag one in the ring and get their feet set. But a truly good showmen knows all aspects of showing cattle even beyond what happens in the ring. They know how to select good show prospects, they know how to feed, raise, and fit good prospects. They know how to pair a bull and a cow to produce a good show prospect. Thats all part of showing a calf, the right mating has to happen, the right calf has to hit the ground, a showman has to know what their looking for to go out and select that calf, then they have to know what their doing to feed and fit that calf right to have them at 12 oclock on show day. Thats all part of showmanship. So the reason I ask the questions, is generally if a kid is involved enough to genuinely become a good all around showman, not only will they know the answers to those questions ,but they will answer calmly, quickly, and confidently because that information is 2nd nature to them. You can generally quickly tell the kids who actually put effort into it from the kids that are just handed a calf at the gate to the show ring and drilled on how to answer questions, because those kids are generally slower to answer, stutter because they are nervous, and after answering sit there and stare at the judge wondering if they answered correctly. On the other hand kids who truly put effort into it, and know the information from experience its not so much like an interview but more like an easy flowing conversation.
Thats why I ask questions, I know some disagree with it. I understand the earlier comment about when you are selecting someone to drag your cattle in the ring you are more interested in their ability to get the cattle stuck than their knowledge. I on the other hand would only send my cattle in the ring with people that knew the cattle, thus most likely someone who worked for me etc, so when I am selecting people I am definately interested in their knowledge of aspects of the industry outside of just what happens in the show ring.
AAOK
Well-known member
twistedhshowstock said:
In my opinion, the above is the only reason to ask questions. When Judging Showmanship, I have always told the young showmen "showmanship is won at home, not here in this ring". I will only except an offer to Judge if I am not the Show Judge. I want to be nonchalantly walking around the barns to see who is fitting the calves. It gives me a great perspective on how to separate the Draggers from the Doers.
DLD
Well-known member
I very much agree with leanbeef and Dan on this one. We have quiz bowls, speech contests, marketing contests and all sorts of other places for those kids to show off that knowledge - why can't we reward those kids there and reward the best showmen in the showmanship contest?
I judge some too, and the only questions I ask in showmanship directly pertain to the animal they're showing.
I judge some too, and the only questions I ask in showmanship directly pertain to the animal they're showing.
obie105
Well-known member
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Any kid can say my black steer is a monopoly and say it eats what for feed. That question is a good one. I remember being in contests where I tried to not laugh at the person next to me. They might be able to show but they didn't know anything about the calf or the industry. By the time the exhibitor is in high school they ought to know something. That just shows they are probably not doing the work or involved with any of the decision making at home.
