World Dairy Expo Supplement (complete PDF) - Hoards Dairyman

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EXPO 20 September 10, 2011
See us at World Dairy Expo – Booth EH 1413-1518
THE VERTICAL MIXER SPECIALISTS
1-888-336-3127
Circle No. 21 on Reader Response Card
Around the world of dairy
The next generation
OF SHOWMEN
The Youth Showmanship Contest and now, the Youth Fitting
Contest, are excellent opportunities for young individuals at
Expo to showcase their talents.
by Hoard’s Dairyman staff
FROM dairy cattle judging to
showing and fitting, at World Dairy
Expo there are numerous opportunities
for youth to showcase their
dairy-related talents. A staple in
the youth competitions is the Youth
Showmanship Contest. This contest
allows young exhibitors to combine
their knowledge of the dairy industry
with their fitting skills and talent
in the show arena.
During the 2010 Expo though, the
Youth Showmanship Contest was
revamped; the quiz portion of the
contest was eliminated. This was
the first year in which the competition
was based solely on the individuals’
abilities in the show ring.
Additionally, fitting no longer contributes
to how the individuals are
placed in the Showmanship Contest,
so long as the animal has been
brushed and their ears are clean.
The fitting portion was removed
because many youth who excel at it
are busy Thursday evening preparing
for the Holstein heifer show the
following day.
The Youth Showmanship Contest
began in 1984 as an opportunity
for young exhibitors to compete
against one another and improve
their skills in the show ring. The
competition was broken into three
age divisions: 9 to 12 years old, 13
to 16, and 17 to 21.
In the past, the youngest age
bracket in the contest was based
only on the competitors’ showmanship
strength. Once youth entered
the older age brackets, a quiz component
was added. Showing dairy
cattle accounted for 80 percent
of their total score, evenly split
between their ability to fit and show.
YOUTH NOT ONLY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
to compete against the best in the nation,
they also pick up tips to be better showmen.
The remaining 20 percent was comprised
of their score on the quiz.
Katie DeBruin, coordinator of the
Youth Showmanship Contest, noted,
“The quiz worked for kids who compete
on quiz bowl teams, but youth
more interested in showing were at
a disadvantage.”
Coast-to-coast contestants
On average 210 to 220 individuals
compete in the Showmanship
Contest. In 2010, 253 youth from 25
states and one Canadian province
participated in the Youth Showmanship
Contest Thursday evening in
the Coliseum. “The number of participants
at the 2010 World Dairy
Expo is by far the biggest group
we’ve had,” said DeBruin.
The age bracket breakdowns have
changed slightly from previous
years. The junior division stayed
the same (9 to 12) and had 64 participants.
The intermediate division
consisted of 13- to 15-year-olds with
80 participants. Finally, the senior
showmanship division was open to
youths aged 16 to 18 with 109 individuals
competing.
Participants are judged in random
heats of 20 to 25 individuals. A typical
heat takes 20 minutes. When
choosing youth from each heat, the
judges use their discretion and pull
as many youth as they feel deserve
to move on in the competition.
“We try to source judges from an
array of locations. We look for judges
who are good with kids and know
how to show cattle,” says DeBruin.
Serving as last year’s judges were
Jenny Mills, Canastota, N.Y.; Cathy
Yeoman, Dover, Okla.; and Josey
Morris, Lake Mills, Wis., for the
Canada — Ontario and Quebec combined are home to 81 percent of the dairy farms.