Fitters, steer jocks and kids OH MY!

[dutch pride]

Have been reading this thread with some interest. Lots of good points brought up pro and con on a lot of the issues. In my mind it all comes down to money. And that leads to the next question, "whose money"?  I hear talk of hiring a fitter but who does the hiring, parent or kid? Who buys the projects, parent or kid? There may be but I don't think there are many 9 or 10 year olds that can afford a steer or heifer that will compete in the major show, feed them well, supply facilities that will increase the potential for winning, hire a fitter, hire someone to cart them all over to show there projects etc.etc.etc. So that leads me to think it is not how deep the kids pockets are but how deep the parents pocket are.

That said, how is this different then the parents who send their high school athletes to big time camps, pay for private trainers/coaches etc. etc.

I really like the idea of equal reward for showmanship contest as well as the steer or heifer contests. Not sure how we would do that at ourcounty fair but it will deserve some thought.

 

[justme]

I have scanned the above post, but admit I probably missed a few points so pardon me but...

I DID offer to sponser an award much bigger than that of the champion steer (trophy) for our champion showmanship AND commercial feeder pen (a steer class based strictly on numbers - nothing on prettiness) and was told I couldn't do it, as it would be unfair. And that tells the kids what?????

And heres another thought about 9 year olds being at a disadvantage (that's just life...a young salesman is at a disadvantage the first year of his work too, but do you hear them whining??)....How safe is it for a 9 year old weighing 80 pounds to be leading a 1250 pound steer/heifer anyway??? Several shows have banned ram sheep due to "safety reasons", and bulls can not be shown for "safety reasons", so why in the world would one assume that a 9 year old would be safe leading a steer/heifer? Maybe if the age limit was say 12-14, the kid WOULD do more of the work that they need to do due to the fact it is THE KIDS project....

There are exceptions to you 9 year old point of view (she only weighs 70 pounds when she's all wet) .  My daughter who started out as a basket of nerves helped us the entire way from breaking to fitting.  She controlled her heifer with the best of them, and beat many a high schooler this summer.   She did her job...and it was her project....she reaped the rewards.  I really think showing cattle is a family project no matter how old the youth is.  A family that works together on an animal and enjoys what they are doing are the REAL winners.  No matter how old a kid is...valuable family time  are what 4-H and FFA projects are all about.  Just my honest opinion...at my age I think of age as just a number....just like every kid is different. 

She even bought her heifer this past year...she has been peeweeing sheep and bottle calves and saved her money for her heifer this past year.  She competed very well at local and state levels and did really great at the Royal.  So....it is possible.

 

[DLD]

Absolutely right justme. Our 8 year old twins aren't that big, but were also in on every step of breaking and caring for the heifers they showed this fall. They showed 5 times this fall and racked up 6 breed champions and 3 reserves, 1 grand and 3 reserve grands, beating lots of older kids along the way, including their 14 year old brother (who, btw, has been paid to help fit and show, including at Denver). Nobody was ever out in the ring helping them, either. They rinsed, brushed, blew, and set up their heifers nearly every day for 3 months - way more than most of the older kids they showed against.

Even more importantly, though, is the part about family. It's really what this program is all about, and very, very few  (if any)young people are succesful in the show program without the help and support of a family (yeah, sometimes it isn't their own, but they usually feel that way about each other before they're done) - especially as it continues to grow further removed from the support of the 4H/FFA infrastructure.

This program may be flawed, but tell me what in life is perfect? Maybe it's just entertainment for alot of people, but so what? It still keeps our families together and our kids busy and happy and it teaches them valuable lessons about responsibility, the rewards for hard work, sportsmanship, leadership, life and death and too many other things too list. Young people come out of this program and go on to be succesful in many different areas, and almost every one of them will credit junior livestock shows with helping get them where they are.

I'll get down off my soapbox, now. It's just frustrating that some people insist on seeing only the negatives.

 

[Telos]

I along with everyone on this board could write a book about all the benefits which come from the junior livestock program. Our passion and beliefs are perhaps the reason we tend to look at it under a microscope. For me, this program was the best with lessons learned that I still apply today and everyday.

From our discussions on the boards I have reaffirmed it's validity and have a little different attitude then I had a couple of years ago. I must admit, I was a bit down on the program and thought changes were in order, but now I'm not so sure. This program as competitive as it has become has  taught many of us about the importance of cooperation which is needed in order to be competitive. It is the supporting family, county agents, Ag instructors and even all the jocks and fitters which teach us the lesson of how powerful teamwork is.

 

[dutch pride]

This program as competitive as it has become has  taught many of us about the importance of cooperation which is needed in order to be competitive. It is the supporting family, county agents, Ag instructors and even all the jocks and fitters which teach us the lesson of how powerful teamwork is.

Amen Telos; It is and should be a family experience with whatever "help" is available. If we just enjoy our experience and enjoy our success's and learn when we do not do as well as we hoped as long as we did our best with whatever resources are available to us, we should consider ourselves and/or our kids a success.

DLZ