First, let me say that writing these articles serves as much a reminder to myself as to offer guidance to anyone else. Consider that when top athletes perform, they have taken special pains to ensure that their minds and bodies are prepared for the day ahead. Fitting and showing livestock really well takes incredible focus and stamina. Early mornings and long days are hard on kids. Never was there a more intense game of “hurry up and wait”.
When showing cattle, we make sure they rest long enough before we get them up to fit so they aren’t too tired. We exercise, and bed them properly so they move with all kinds of flexibly. Show pigs get fed like every hour or so and are conditioned at home to be able to handle the time in the show ring. Basically, the livestock are fed, rested and as comfortable as possible before they hit the show ring, but suck it up Johnny, you can eat at the end of the day!
I’d say on show day, the majority of stock show kids are out well before daylight, washing when its freezing or blowing in front of a fan to get them dry faster…increasing the wind chill exponentially…and that’s just in the winter. In the summer, kids show their lambs when its 103 while wearing a blue corduroy jacket, making them drain sweat. Have you tried showing a lamb or goat before, it’s a physical ordeal.
In the past, I’ve thought kids need to toughen up…after-all I had to deal with it. In fact, it was more like a badge of honor to be able to grind through those long days. We’d all brag about how early we got to the barn to take care of two head, as if we were in Denver with a string of about 20. Admittedly, I haven’t abandoned that thought completely. Yet, it has occurred to me that if I want my kids to perform in the show ring and while fitting like an upper level athlete both mentally and physically I probably should prepare the kid as well as the stock.
Kids really only need a few things… food, a little sleep and proper attire for the given weather. Sometimes I get it right and others…well, striving for improvement right? Because it’s winter right now, getting cold is top of mind. In California, our winters are so mild comparatively that we often don’t bundle up like people in other parts of the country. We recently took Will to show in Oklahoma and Kansas. Can I just say that I hate it when local people tell me that it’s not really cold when I’m complaining about the fact that my toes are numb and I can’t feel my nose??? Anyhow, Will went with a light jacket, jeans and cowboy boots. I thought, “Well if you are going to lose the North Face coat I bought, then you can freeze.” That sure worked well because the combination of wanting to impress the people he was helping, lack of sleep and freezing wore him down so that he did not perform at the level I was used to seeing from him. Lesson learned Mom.
Showing and fitting at your best requires you to be at the top of your game mentally. There are many things going on that require focus. Please don’t misunderstand me…I’m not advocating that they stay in the hotel while others do their work so they are rested to show. That is missing the point all together. Let’s be honest, I’ve seen many of my friends quite effectively rally all the way to the backdrop after a late night and a breakfast that falls far short of a “breakfast of champions”. However, that is a “conditioned” ability and not really what we can expect of younger showmen.
For a long time, I could tell Frank exactly what the cattle ate and how much water they drank but couldn’t accurately tell anyone what my kids had for breakfast show day morning. Grandma could tell you though! Admittedly, many parents are great at making sure their kids are perfectly fed and cared for at shows. I commend that and am aspiring to do it more like them. Most of the time, those moms didn’t grow up showing and knowing they’d better be able to answer the feed and water question as it applies to the livestock. An excuse you say? Probably! Switching from showman myself to mom of showmen has required that I pay attention to more than just the livestock. I guess I’m a little slow at figuring this out! Maybe this can work into an article featuring the parents who are great at creating the kitchen away from home, or even a cookbook! As for me, I plan to be able to tell you how much the kids and the cattle ate show day morning.
