By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

WILMINGTON, Ohio — They shivered in the 40-degree barn they were standing in. For most the shivers were brought about by nerves and the thought of showing livestock in an arena for the very first time.

The event was the Little International Showmanship Contest, a learning event for 4-H and FFA students wanting to learn the proper way of showing animals in a ring, many of them for the very first time.

“This is more of a tutorial showmanship event than anything else,” said Roger Walker, vice president of the Aggies Club at Wilmington College. “The judges in this event will offer suggestions or tips, whereas in a real showmanship contest you won’t get that help.”
Expert judges gave 15 minutes instruction with each discipline (equine, goat, swine, beef, sheep, poultry) for the students, who eventually took to the show ring to demonstrate their newly taught skills.

“The 120 participants triples the number we had last season,” Walker said. “Something like this is so beneficial and even though it’s a contest it’s a learning experience as well.”

Wyatt Schroder, a Wilmington College graduate from Bellvue, Michigan, served as a judge and had strong advice for all attendees.

“I tell the kids they’re in the ring to show the animals, not to present themselves in front of the judge,” Schroder said. “That’s the key and I learned this from experience. Too many kids nowadays are worrying about what they, themselves, are wearing. They polish their brass belt buckles and shine their boots to look good in front of a judge. It’s all about the animal and how you present your animal, not about your appearance as a presenter.”
The Little Showmanship event attracts 4-H and FFA participants and others from eight counties in southwest Ohio. Students could enter show one animal for $3 or all six for $10. Ribbons were given to the top three in each category.

Just minutes into the competition judge Ben Pitstick and other judges noticed a pattern with most participants — most were under pressure to perform and that pressure came from mom and dad, as well as the judge..

“The kids are under so much pressure and when the kids leave the show ring they don’t want to listen to their parents barking at them, telling them what they did right or wrong. Ribbons are given to the top contestants and sometimes there’s just too much pressure to succeed rather than simply learn. That’s why this event is so important, because from us there really is no pressure. We’re here to teach and help the students learn from their mistakes so when fair time comes and they have to do this on their own they’ll have a better understanding of what to do.”

The competition was sponsored by the Wilmington College Collegiate 4-H. The event was divided into two classes: juniors (ages 9-14) and seniors (ages 15-21).