One of the greatest thrills a young athlete will ever have is walking out to the field with the stands packed with fans and supporters.  The energy and anticipation of the crowd is just electrifying, taking the adventure to a whole new level.  That sort of an experience is something every kid should get to enjoy.  But for some that enter a different arena to compete, they rarely get that same sort of enthusiastic support.    

In just a week, the 4H and FFA kids of the Oneida County are set to take to a different sort of arena where they will show their livestock projects that they have been working on for months.  While it might seem like a simple demonstration of some farm animals, the behind the scenes work to make it to the arena is well worth the support these kids deserve. 

Maybe you think watching a 4H livestock show isn’t your thing, that sitting in the stands at a football game, wrestling meet or volleyball tournament is more your speed.  But let me help you see what is really going on in that arena beyond the kids chasing their pigs or leading their calves around to what an incredible feat it is.

The youth in the ring have been working up to this day for months, beginning when they chose this year’s animal.  Using their experience, advice from parents and leaders, they picked out one calf, one lamp or one pig that they hoped would grow to be the best of all.  It can be challenging to pick out just the right animal and if that one doesn’t work out, there are no take backs or do-overs.  As they pick through all the potential calves, lambs and hogs, they have to find the one that has the best structure, the best growing potential, and the best demeanor.  And if they don’t pick the best one, they really have to just make the most of the animal they have.

Once they have started their project, they have to be all in and totally committed.  Caring, teaching and training their animals in preparation for show day requires a daily commitment.  There are no rest days when it comes to working to that end goal.  It requires late nights, early mornings and working through the hot summers to accomplish the feat of livestock animal fit for show.

Most of these young showmen invest not only their time and energy into raising and training their animals, but also investing their own hard earned money in their fair animals.  Good feed, equipment and animals don’t come cheap and these kids know it first hand.  They understand just how much it costs to raise their animal and what it will take to make a profit.  Year after year, they hope and pray that their efforts will be enough to help them make a little earnings from their hard work.

Teaching and training their fair animals is a challenge they face year after year as they take on a new animal.  And even though it gets easier with time and experience, there is still some amount of danger and fear of working with an animal much bigger and stronger than many of these young showmen.  Try as they will over the many weeks to have their animals gentle, calm and trained, there are times that things just fall apart.  Yet they still show up, unsure if they are about to get dragged through the dirt and still willing to do it anyway.

And it isn’t enough to just grow a good looking animal that they can walk around the ring, but they also have to prep and fit their animals for show, beginning with washing every inch of their animals to clipping, combing, and standing that leg hair up just right.  Then once they get in the show ring, they have to show their animal in a way to convince the judge that they are the very best animal out there.  It requires not only the knowledge of how to make their animal look finished and filled out, but also knowing their individual animal's weakness and strengths, as well as how to move or set up their steer, sheep or pig to highlight those strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

Aside from the physical preparation they have to do with their animals and the feeding routines they have to maintain, they are also required to learn and demonstrate what they have learned for their judges.  These young ag producers are expected to know about their animals daily weight gain, their feed rations, the parts of their animals, popular meat cuts, how their digestive systems work, by products, and other facts about their industry.

While this is a highly demanding arena to show in, it is also highly rewarding.  I’m not referring to the ribbons that are passed out at the end of the show, but rather the growth and accomplishment that each of these young showmen have as they end their animal projects.  Most will say they are only in it for the money, many others will say that their parents make them do it and there will be a few that do it for the fun, but all of them get far more out of their experience than a check at the end of the year.  The confidence they gain in their own abilities to prep their animals, the leadership that comes from taking charge and the satisfaction they earn from doing some hard and doing it well are an investment in their future, something much more than a payout in their pocket.

All of the time and hard work that these youth do is largely in preparation for a single day of show.  Instead of spending day after day preparing for a season of games or just a weekend tournament, they get one shot.  Signing up to take a market animal to the county fair is a huge undertaking that deserves an equal amount of praise and support.  Before the stands get filled for Friday night football or the week’s rival volleyball match, let’s first fill the stands of the show ring and give these hard working 4H and FFA youth the cheers they deserve for accomplishing such a task.