Va Tech Little International

J and I went to see V show her heifer in the Little I on Saturday.  Aunt L came by for the show too.   As with most things from my youth it has changed a lot.  Most of the kids were just showing to get extra credit for their livestock handling class.  V was not in the class but was showing because she wanted to.  It wasn't nearly as formal as in the past either, there was no ham sale, and I don't know what happened to the horse class.  There were only 5 in it and they were showing adult horses, not yearlings that they had to halter break themselves.  

 There were 2 classes of advanced showmen in the cattle division and 4 classes of novice.  Because V had show cattle before, she was in the advanced division.

 I thought she was doing an excellent job with her heifer, staying calm despite all of the walking sideways and swinging around.  The judge then had her switch heifers with someone else and V was not prepared for that. She got too focused on trying to get her to set up and missed a cue to walk off.

She ended up 4th in the class and felt like she had just wasted the last 3 weeks.  Looking back, I hope she will realize that sometimes hard work is it's own reward.  You don't always have to win or get a ribbon to have accomplished something.  I know that is a hard lesson for young people to learn.

Anyway, she could still smile about it afterwards.
And on a better note, there was the Animal Science Department Awards Banquet the night before and V was honored with the Mary Howe diZerega Memorial Scholarship which I think was much more important than how you place in a showmanship class.  The description said...

"This memorial scholarship was endowed in 2003 by the family of Mrs. Mary Howe diZerega.  Mrs. diZerega was a 10th generation cattle farmer who supervised every aspect of her Oakdale Farm, a performance-tested Charolais herd, which was started in 1968 in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Upperville, Va.  Her keen interest in genetics and persistence for quality helped to build an exceptional herd of purebred Charolais.  Mary Howe served as a leader in many local, state, and national cattle organizations, including being elected by her peers as President of the American-International Charolais Association.  She was a 1998 Block and Bridle Honor Awardee and was a 2003 Hall of  Fame inductee.  This endowed scholarship recognizes students, preferably young women, who are preparing for a profession in breeding and raising beef cattle.  Selection includes leadership skills, need, character  and academic achievement."
Congratulations V!  We are proud of you.