By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Logan Brinker went from livestock judge at a pee wee sheep show Saturday morning to top junior fair showman in the Wood County Fair Showmanship Sweepstakes Saturday night.
For Brinker, the day represented both ends of the showmanship spectrum —judging and being judged.
In the morning, he praised a Wood County Fair sheep arena full of pee wee sheep showmen, who ranged from two to eight years old, for good eye contact, acknowledgment of being in the show ring and calmness.
“They also were good at keeping the sheep’s feet squared quickly, and they knew to switch sides to keep the animal between them and me when I went to the mic,” he announced during the show.
He tapped winners in each age class: Bentley Richards for eight-year-olds; Eilee Sautter, six-year-olds; Ryler Henck, five-year-olds; Beaslee Reynolds, four-year-olds; Tegan Richards, three-year-olds; and Caleb Stasa, two-year-olds.
Brinker, who will attend South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, this fall and participate in the livestock judging team, admitted it was difficult to pick the top pee wee sheep showmen. “They showed intensity in the show ring yet appeared to enjoy the experience,” he said
The judges at the Bill Buchman Showmanship Sweepstakes in the evening made similar comments about the nine senior showmen, who were named top senior showman in their featured species. “It’s a tough competition; they are all great showmen,” was a common comment made by the judges.
Representing their species in the sweepstakes were Horses, Ella Schuessler-Recker, Horses-R-Us 4-H; Beef, Lila Seedorf, Livestock Unlimited; Market Goats, Noah Lang, Simply Stock; Dairy Goats, San Head, Winning Edge; Rabbits, Madison Wiechman, Beaver Creek Boosters; Poultry, Morgan Wiechman, Beaver Creek Boosters; Dairy, Nora Menzie, Farmcrafters; Sheep, Logan Brinker, Livestock Unlimited; and Swine, Claire Lampe, Simply Stock.
The senior showmanship sweepstakes at the fair has a twist to the competition. Instead of showing the animal that earned them the right to compete in the sweepstakes, they must show the other eight species.
Brinker had to show horses, beef feeders, market goats, dairy goats, rabbits, poultry, dairy cattle and swine.
“The chicken and rabbit were the hardest for me,” he said. They (the judges) are so specific about what they want,” he said. Tim Johnson, the poultry judge surprised him when he asked, “Do you know how to do showmanship chickens?”
“When I said ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘So grab a bird,’” Brinker recalled. “I thought he was going to tell me which chicken to show, so I tried to act like I knew what I was doing.”
Because Brinker had competed in the sweepstakes last year after earning the senior sheep showman title, he did have a good sense of what was required for the competition.
“My goal last year was to win it and have a ‘one and done,’” he said. “I thought it would be pretty cool.” He placed third in 2023 behind Grand Champion Carter Lampe and Reserve Champion Noah Lang, who repeated as Reserve Champion this year.
When Brinker secured the sheep showman award this year, he went to every barn and talked to the senior showmanship winner or the junior fair member assigned to the sweepstakes. He also had the advantage of having shown cattle, sheep and pigs.
“My older brother Owen won the sweepstakes when I was a sophomore in high school, and he had just graduated,” Brinker said. “That motivated me to get into the sweepstakes.” An uncle, Alan Brinker, also previously won the sweepstakes.
“It’s fun to do the sweepstakes and be out there on one of the last days of the fair with everyone watching you. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Lessons in showmanship
Because most of the senior showmen who compete in the sweepstakes aren’t used to showing more than one or two species, practicing before the big show is critical.
Sam Head, a junior fair board member, allowed me to follow him as he worked with other showmen for a quick lessons on showing the different species before the sweepstakes.
While “showmanship” is defined as the ability to present an animal to its best potential, and highlighting its strengths and minimizing its weaknesses,” the requirements vary from one species to another, Head explained. Some species’ judges are looking for that all-important eye contact. Others are more concerned with presenting the nimal in a specific way.
As the senior showman for dairy goats, he was interested in knowing more about poultry and rabbits, which were foreign to him.
“With my dairy goat, I tell it to step up, to walk and it does. I’m just used to being nice with the commands. With market goats, it’s a lot more hands-on. With pigs, you are tapping them with a stick, with cattle you are dragging them and with sheep, you have to hold their heads,” he said. “If they don’t have a halter, I don’t know what to do.”
He met with poultry and sheep showmen first, then followed with horses, beef cattle, rabbits and swine. His trick for learning the skills for each species was to write down the steps after he practiced. Then he could go back and study his notes.
Prior to the show, he said, “I’m up for the challenge. I don’t know how it’s going to go. I’ve got two goals: not to get last and don’t embarrass myself. If my parents tell me I looked like I knew what I was doing, then I’m great.”
He did not win, but he also did not embarrass himself.
