This year was my last year to show as a junior exhibitor at the Green County Fair, and luckily for me, I (Ashley Nimtz) was named the senior champion of the show. Between knowing that it is your last year to give everything that you have inside, showing off one last time where your heart and soul is and has been over the past 12 years, and walking into the show ring in a class of just shy of 30 exhibitors…you are an emotional mess inside.   But only the best can handle the pressure, and keep their animal under control and looking graceful in the show ring.   Then as you walk around the ring, stopping and posing your animals, walking farther around, and answering many questions about the industry and your animal your mind is pulling knowledge from everywhere to allow you to show the judge just exactly what you have and what you can do. Then he starts pulling in exhibitors. First he starts with the 15 that fell apart in the ring. Then he starts a new line. This is the line of the winners. When he points to you first there is a roar of emotions inside…excitement, nerves, tiredness after showing for 4 minutes already, and many more. All you can think is not to mess it up now.  

 

As the judge makes his final changes he motions to you to pull out and start the final line…this is when it hits you. Everyone else has to walk around you in line. Then the county royalty hand out the ribbons and prizes as the judge begins his reasons. This is when you think wow, I did it! As you walk out in front of the crowd, the judge explaining everything that you have done right and all you can see are faces of smiles, excitement and some with tears of happiness. 

 

Then before you slowly make your way back to the barn, there are hundreds of pictures to be taken and you are informed that you have to be in the Master Showmanship Contest Saturday night and you get the opportunity to be in the Dairy Youth Recognition Auction on Sunday afternoon.

 

In the end, it made my least year showing at the Green County Fair one of my most memorable years of showing dairy cattle. The whirlwind of emotions, hundreds of hours of sweat, pain, tears, and feelings of defeat were all worth the 15 minutes of fame and the lifetime to come of knowing that I gave everything I had for so many years and it finally came together right at the end just like I had always hoped it would.