I was at a county fair this weekend helping fit some calves for a guy and after the market show they had the bottle/bucket show. I would have to say that was probably the most enjoyable part of the whole show. When those little kids were leading, some draggin their calves around the ring it made me realize that this part of the show is when it is still truly about the kids having fun. There were more smiles in the ring during the bottle calf show than there was all day in the market show.
I am just as guilty as anybody of being super competitive and all about trying to win. But, I think everyone needs to take the time to watch at least one bottle/bucket show this summer. It makes you realize what 4-H is supposed to be about and it gives a person a little reprieve from the cut-throat world of the "steer show." With that being said I will keep trying everything I can to win when I am involved with a calf, but next time I am pulling up a leg or telling a kid how to hide a flaw I will be cognizant of the fact that what we have now is probably not what the founders of 4-H had in mind when they started to have livestock shows at county fair. Such is life I guess.
I am just as guilty as anybody of being super competitive and all about trying to win. But, I think everyone needs to take the time to watch at least one bottle/bucket show this summer. It makes you realize what 4-H is supposed to be about and it gives a person a little reprieve from the cut-throat world of the "steer show." With that being said I will keep trying everything I can to win when I am involved with a calf, but next time I am pulling up a leg or telling a kid how to hide a flaw I will be cognizant of the fact that what we have now is probably not what the founders of 4-H had in mind when they started to have livestock shows at county fair. Such is life I guess.