Professional Fitters

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thebulllady

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
112
AJSA is a great thing and the "Junior Nationals" are a wonderful experience for the juniors. But it really pisses me off that there are people that think it's okay to bring a professional fitter ...while their kids stand around watching him fit for them. Tacky and totally unprofessional.
 

obie105

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 17, 2011
Messages
780
It sucks don't get me wrong the kids should be doing and learning but it happens everywhere not just there from county fairs to Denver. Juniors keep professionals in business.
 

mooch

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Joined
Apr 10, 2008
Messages
393
Location
IOWA
thebulllady said:
AJSA is a great thing and the "Junior Nationals" are a wonderful experience for the juniors. But it really pisses me off that there are people that think it's okay to bring a professional fitter ...while their kids stand around watching him fit for them. Tacky and totally unprofessional.
Who ? Are they winning?
 

Glorifying Pastures

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
62
Location
Pine River, WI
I think it's wrong also for the pro's to fit a junior's animal, I agree with Angusboy, with the Ak-sar-ben rules. We have two counties I can think of right know in Wisconsin, that only the kid can touch the animal with help from their parents and other kids no one else can touch that animal. 
 

obie105

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Joined
Oct 17, 2011
Messages
780
When it comes down to it the best animal will still win regardless. At our county fair open show the champion breeding and market animal didn't even fit their animals and still beat fitted ones. In our county where I grew up their are 3 sets of parents that are professional fitters so it doesn't change anything.
 

nkotb

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Messages
321
Location
Quinter, KS
I agree with Obie.  In Kansas, only the kids and family members can touch the animals at county and supposed to be State Fair.  But some of the parents/siblings are professional fitters.  Coincidentally, most of these kids are the ones that win, not because of the fit job, but because their family knows what they are looking for in animals and picks quality.  I view this as almost the same argument as needing to show slick sheared so that hair doesn't come into the equation.  The kids that spend the time, and usually money, on their animals are going to win.
 

Ohio1

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Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
652
nkotb said:
I agree with Obie.  In Kansas, only the kids and family members can touch the animals at county and supposed to be State Fair.  But some of the parents/siblings are professional fitters.  Coincidentally, most of these kids are the ones that win, not because of the fit job, but because their family knows what they are looking for in animals and picks quality.  I view this as almost the same argument as needing to show slick sheared so that hair doesn't come into the equation.  The kids that spend the time, and usually money, on their animals are going to win.
I agree with this. At my county other 4-h members can help too. But even if all shows go to slick shear the same kids will still win IMO
 

WJ Farms

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
239
thebulllady said:
AJSA is a great thing and the "Junior Nationals" are a wonderful experience for the juniors. But it really pisses me off that there are people that think it's okay to bring a professional fitter ...while their kids stand around watching him fit for them. Tacky and totally unprofessional.

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It's not your money going to pay these guys if the people want to pay what it cost then thats fine...........if you dont want to pay then thats your choice if its allowed then why not do it. Your just gonna have to deal with it. Or join them it is whatever........not a big deal
 

Eberth

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
195
Location
Basehor, Ks
I guess I don't see the problem with it at a show of this caliber, when I was growing up showing we always hired a fitter for junior nationals and shows of this caliber. This only presented the animals to the best of our ability but also gave me the opportunity to learn from and work with some of the best in the business. I would fit at the smaller county and local shows and learned from thr ground up and paid a good majority of my way through college fitting cattle and working for various traders and families.
 

GoWyo

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
Messages
1,691
Location
Wyoming
It does kinda suck, but it also helps motivate you and the kids to step up your game.  If you have spent the time and effort (and money) to have competitive cattle, then a fitter is probably necessary to compete against the top cattle.  Otherwise, do it yourself and be proud of your work and your stock no matter the placing.  Kids get more competent at fitting when they have to do it.  The skills learned and gaining an understanding of the costs of fitters, reality of where the animal will likely place regardless of the fitting job, etc. are some of the most valuable lessons learned from the project.  Don't worry about what others are doing.  Just do your best and when it seems like you aren't progressing, it may be time to bring in some more expertise to advance the kids' skills and move on to the next level.
 

Tallcool1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2012
Messages
969
I see your point, but there is a problem with the term "Junior National".  Junion Nationals are not really Junior shows.  They are open shows in which the kids are the only ones allowed in the show ring.

These shows attract some of the best producers in the country.  This is advertising at it's finest level. 

You are worried about someone HIRING a professional fitter.........half of the parents of these kids ARE professional fitters, even if they no longer do it for money.  Just because the parents don't stand in a huddle next to the ring and act loud and obnoxious does NOT mean that they can't get after it.  Don't miss the point.

Now at the County, State Fair, Ak-Sar-Ben level, I completely agree with you.  Junior Nationals......not really a Junior Show. 

Maybe I should exclude the steer shows at Junior Nationals?  Maybe.
 

mick rems

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
139
i have now problem with professionals. i won't lie i've got a couple that i use, whether it's clipping, fitting, or both. but i still know how to clip and fit. i clip and fit for other kids at shows too. theres more than 2 counties in wisconsin that only jrs and parents can touch the animals, manitowoc, the leader's aren't even supposed to touch them, doesn't stop anyone tho. i've already seen and had a professional at a show guiding the kid and parents or me while they/i was fitting. i used a proffessional at JR. Nationals for the Maine deal. granted yes i could have done it myself and i would have, but the professionals are faster at it and they can really get the animal looking it's best. i use professionals for big shows or when one of my guys is there. World Beef Expo i use one and Badger Kickoff Classic. but county and state and other shows i do my own fitting. i mostly fit in the bed pack for county fair between all the animals i have at that sho i can't run between the barn and the chute, cus we can't have chutes in the barn at all.  i fit for other kids at state, and i've clipped those animals, for state. i also clip and fit for other kids in other counties for their fairs. So I guess y'all can say i'm a professional and i'm still a jr member. so  what i'm saying is the no professional fitter rules really don't change anything it just makes the people that can't fit even worse off than they were and the people that are professional to begin with even farther ahead.
 

lfarms

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
699
Location
Kansas
My dad and my brother went to Sullivan's supply fitting school and we learned tons about fitting, today at one of the shows we go to, we beat like 3 Pro fitters beat us Pros!
 

Woodland Farms Show Cattl

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 14, 2011
Messages
163
Location
Deckerville, Michigan
heres my two cents, i show still and i fit proffesionally, BUT when i fit for someone at a JUNIOR show, i stand back most of the time and make them do a lot of it after i demonstrate, at any other show im just a broke college kid with a set of clippers and a nack for fitting cattle and ill take my meals where i can get them, in regaurds to the comment about the best calf will still win... thats a load of crap! the calf that has the least amount of holes to cover and the most amount of hair to cover them will win.
at my county fair no proffesional fitters are allowed, that doesnt stop ppl from taking there calve for an hour "walk" tho and comeing back ring ready, so how do you really enforce it?
 

heatherleblanc

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
163
I'm up in Canada, and at my junior shows, the only people aloud to TOUCH the animals are juniors.  They can't have adults feeding, walking, washing, fitting, showing, NOTHING!  But of course, I know kids that are 18 and can fit as good as some of the pros, and that's just the way it is.  My opinion on it is, if you don't like the rules and the way things are done, and the rules either aren't going to be changed, or can't be enforced, either deal with it or don't show.  Just like, if you don't like slick shows, don't go to them.
 
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