Schonauer wins Dairy Showmanships Supreme Showmanship despite broken arm
By Dave Mast
August 16, 2011
755
When it comes down to winning a showmanship contest at the Holmes County Fair, no matter what the animal, contestants must remain poised at all times, show confidence and know the rules of showmanship. But above all, they must have a good time.
That is the lesson judge Bonnie Ayers wanted to pass along during the Dairy Showmanship portion of the fair, and after listening to her describe the top tier of finishers in the event, it was obvious that Holmes County youth have followed that prescription very closely.
A solid field of competitors in the Senior, Intermediate, Junior and Beginner showmanship classes paraded their dairy cattle around the main show barn arena on the morning of Friday, August 12, and several rose through the ranks to find their place in the Supreme Showmanship finale.
In the end, Rebekah Schonauer was named Best of Show. Schonauer, a member of the Udder Ends 4-H Club, said she was excited about the win, one which she never figured would come to fruition.
I feel shocked, said Schonauer outside the show barn following the competition. I broke my arm this summer and I didnt even think I was going to be able to show up until this past week.
Show judge Bonnie Ayers said that the relationship between the cow and Schonauer is what set them apart from the field.
The cow and the girl worked very well together, said Ayers. There is a very delicate balance when youre out here showing an animal, and her poise was incredible. She really made this look very simple.
Ayers also had high praise for runner-up Derek Reutter of Buckeye 4-H Club. She said Reutter showed a great deal of professionalism from the moment he entered the ring, and he displayed one trait which she put a great deal of stock in.
He always paid attention to me, to where I was, and he was constantly smiling, said Ayers of Reutter. He looked like he was having a good time out here.
While she said that third place finisher Martin Overholt seemed to be working almost too hard with his animal, she loved his level of professionalism in the arena.
She also was quite impressed with first-year contestant Elizabeth Overholt, of whom she said, This girl gave me the whole history of the Brown Swiss in about 30 seconds, said Ayers. I like that, and I love her enthusiasm. She is definitely going to be one to watch out for the next few years.
Ayers said that as a judge at a fair competition, it is as important to provide insight into what the contestants need to do to get better at showing their animals as it is to judge the winners.
She said that she tries to give advice and correction to each individual, noting that helping them improve their skills is what matters the most.
This is about relaxing and having a good time out here, said Ayers. Kids need to learn how to be composed and enthusiastic, while learning how to position their animal. This was a very impressive group today.
But aside from what they showed here, they were learning, and that is what 4-H is designed to do. Win or lose, I want these kids to walk out of here knowing that they did their best and did a good job. Winning is often times a matter of luck, with only one judge having their own personal opinions.
These kids should be proud, because they did a great job. There was a lot of balance and composure out here today.
