Specht, Welch named tops in judging contest
Ethan Specht, 16, of 4-H Junior Achievers with his shorthorn breeding heifer. Specht was named the top senior individual in market livestock judging at the fair.
Ethan Specht was named the top Tuscarawas County senior, and Kenny Welch was named the top Tuscarawas County junior in the annual fair judging contest on Saturday at the Tuscarawas County Fair.
The contest, which challenges youth to match scores with professional judges, has them looking at the characteristics of different animals. If they do well, the competition could give them a jump-start on becoming a judge at future fairs. Teams and individuals come from around the state of Ohio to compete.
Terri Specht-Benson has coached the Tuscarawas County judging team for nearly 12 years.
Participants can start when they are 9 years old and compete in the junior division from age 9-13. The senior division is for participants age 14-18.
“You can be in any 4-H club in Tuscarawas County, and then you just join the Tuscarawas County livestock judging team,” Specht-Benson said. “We have kids from all over typically. We have practices about once to twice a month and get ready for the contest. We went last year to about eight to 10 contests throughout the year.”
The competitions are held throughout the year.
“We judge cattle, sheep, goats and hogs,” Specht-Benson said.
Of the four species, there are four animals in a class, and then participants rank them.
“The best one is placed first, and then four is the one that you think maybe is least desirable in that class based on either market or breeding, depending on which class it is,” Specht-Benson said.
There is much preparation for the competitions.
“I just go through each species and pick out the highlights of what you want for steers. You’re looking for the muscle, how you determine if it’s muscle versus fat, the definition of what a desirable market animal looks like and what a desirable breeding animal looks like for each one of the species,” Specht-Benson said. “We break it down for the species, and then a lot of times, we also have to answer questions about that.”
The hardest part of any competition is oral reasons.
“I help them answer certain questions and what they might get asked at contests. With oral reasons you place the animals and then you take notes on them, why you placed them,” Specht-Benson said. “You have to describe your placings.”
Junior fair judging is a good opportunity. Specht-Benson started out in 4-H and went on to judge in college as well.
“It prepares you to judge at county shows, state shows, national shows, as far as you want to go. But the main thing that I think kids gain from this is just life skills,” Specht-Benson said. “Decision-making, how you make your final decision, and this is why I did this, and then gaining the skills of confidence.”
It’s good networking too.
“If you like the livestock industry, it gives you opportunities. Employers look at it as far as knowing the skills that you gain, decision-making, just in general all kinds of different things for life skills,” Specht-Benson said.
One of the senior teams placed fifth at the Ohio State Fair and now will go on to a national contest in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team going to nationals is Kortlynn Miller, Jackson Brandt, Ethan Specht, Brady Evans and Barret Evans. The event will be held in early October.
Other results were as follows:
Top senior teams
—Barnesville FFA 2, first place: Carson Johnson, Brooke Watson and Emma Welch.
—Tuscarawas County Strong, second place: Jackson Brandt, Kortlynn Miller, Ethan Specht and Brady Evans.
—Barnesville FFA 1, third place: Lydia Fuchs, Breanne Workman and Mac Cacioppo.
—Outlaws, fourth place: Cale Dinger, Jillian Welch, Kayne Ellwood and Izzy Armstrong.
—Tuscarawas County Proud, fifth place: Barrett Evans, Hunter Miller and Madison Burkholder.
Top junior teams
—Stark County Juniors, first place: Audrey Motts, Harper Motts, Carlene Briestensky and Coy Ellington.
—Tuscarawas County Achievers, second place: Makenna Miller, Kenny Welch, Coy Specht and Reide Black.
—Beef Club, third place: Lydia and Claire Henry and Kylie and Henry Campbell.
—Tuscarawas County Highflyers, fourth place: Riley Gordon, Avery Gordon, Ava Bevan and Karter Ellwood.
—Tuscarawas County Stars, fifth place: Jackson Burkholder, Seely Welch and Kielyn Simmons.
The top senior swine award was a tie between Carson Johnson of Barnesville FFA 2 and Ethan Specht of Tuscarawas County Strong. The top junior swine award went to Ava Bevan of Tuscarawas County Highflyers.
The senior beef award was won by Brooke Watson of Barnesville FFA 2. The top junior beef award went to Audrey Motts of the Stark County Juniors.
The top senior winner in sheep and goats went to Mac Cacioppo of Barnesville FFA 1. The junior award winner in sheep and goats went to Henry Campbell of the Beef Club.
The top 10 senior award winners were Ethan Specht of Tuscarawas County Strong, first place; Emma Welch of Barnesville FFA 2, second place; Brooke Watson of Barnesville FFA 2, third place; Celeste Rummell of IV FFA 3, fourth place; Carson Johnson of Barnesville FFA 2, fifth place; Kortlynn Miller of Tuscarawas County Strong, sixth place; Jillian Welch of Outlaws, seventh place; Mac Cacioppo of Barnesville FFA 1, eighth place; Leanne Walker of Tuscarawas County Warriors, ninth place; and Barrett Evans of Tuscarawas County Proud, 10th place.
The top 10 junior individuals were Henry Campbell of Beef Club, first place; Kenny Welch of the Tuscarawas County Achievers, second place; a tie between Harper Motts of Stark County Juniors and Seely Welch of Tuscarawas County Stars, third place; Coy Ellington of Stark County Juniors, fourth place; Audrey Motts of Stark County Juniors, fifth place; Kielyn Simmons of Tuscarawas County Stars, sixth place; Makenna Miller of Tuscarawas County Achievers, seventh place; Reide Black of Tuscarawas County Achievers, eighth place; Ava Bevan of Tuscarawas County Highflyers, ninth place; and Riley Gordon of Tuscarawas County Highflyers, 10th place.