Day 17: Substitutes in the Show Ring

I really have no knowledge on this, other than sitting in the show ring as a young kid at the county fair just waiting for my dad to finish up as the livestock administrator (bookkeeper, results tally-er, announcer) so I could get a glimpse of the beef queen (yes, there was one, and yes, I wanted to BE her), and go and get on a few rides!

Anyway, showing cattle was a way of life for Joe in the summertime. In his teenage driving years, he would spent a lot of time driving from county fair to county fair, spending time in friends' campers doing heaven-only-knows what while they weren't showing. He was learning a lot about life and responsibility and as Holly wrote in her Day 13 post, a lot about healthy competition, which in my opinion, in the world of "participation medals" and other silly meaningless awards, kids need to learn that some times you win, and some times you lose.

Anyway, we have some heifers that are getting ready to be shown. They're of the right age (I think), look good, have a good disposition...and their talent is AMAZING (I kid, this isn't Toddlers and Tiaras, it's Cattle and Competitiveness). All joking aside, Joe would like to get some of our cattle in the show circuit this summer.

Only one problem.

Our cattle are ready, but our kids are not of the appropriate age.

Anna needs to be nine, and will only be eight in the spring.

So, we're left with a dilemma.

However, this is something I didn't know. We can get a local high school kid to show our cattle in different shows, kind of like a substitute teacher or designated hitter. Someone who we believe will be a good fit for our animals, allowing them to get experience, and also kind of help our little ones learn the art of cattle showing before it's their time.

I figured we would just wait until Anna was nine, but what do I know.

Anyway, Joe is super excited about this substitute in the show ring, because, showing cattle is a big part of who he is. He loves it. He loves going to sales, shows, talking about it, thinking about it. Just getting our toes in the water with this substitute show-er is something that gets him going. And, after a depressing year like the one we've had, we need something like that around her!

So, if you see me out and about at shows this summer (all you cattle showing folks who are probably laughing or cringing at this post) help me out when you see me, because I'll be the mom in the stands still looking for the beef queen (which I don't think is even still around ), and wanting to go on a few rides!

Linking up with Holly's 30 Days on a Prairie Farm series.