GREENVILLE – Cheyenne Swisher was awarded the coveted title of Showman of Showmen at the Great Darke County Fair following a two-day showmanship competition that brought together the fair’s top young showmen.
The Showman of Showmen Competition brings together the top showmanship winner from each Junior Fair animal department to compete for the title of Showman of Showmen.
Each department provides animals for contestants to show, with competitors tested on their ability to handle and exhibit a variety of species. The representative from each animal department does not compete in the showmanship class featuring that representative’s own species. Each class is judged individually, with scores withheld until the completion of the entire competition, at which time all scores are combined to determine the overall winner.
Junior Fair Coordinator Betsy Petitjean explained that the competition gives participants a chance to learn about animals that they otherwise might not know about. She explained, “It gives them a whole different respect for those kids showing a different species.” Equine representative Nevan Miley echoed Petitjean’s thoughts and added, “The people that you meet through this create a nice community.”
Showmen are able to prepare by visiting the other barns and asking for advice and help prior to the competition, but once the competition begins, they are on their own. Contest rules prohibit sideline coaching, so they must rely on their preparation and showmanship instincts.
Cheyenne Swisher described the preparations she made, saying, “I went to different people that I knew would give me good skills. You can ask my grandma. The lights were on until midnight and I studied all the breeds I could, making sure I knew what I was doing.”
Junior Fair members from each department were in charge of securing animals for the competition as well as selecting a judge for their respective department. Junior Fair Coordinator Betsy Petitjean explained that these jobs are the most challenging part of putting the competition together and that the Junior Fair members handle both responsibilities.
Judges for the competition included: Mackenzie Auten – Equine, Brian Rismiller – Poultry, Jill Gehret – Beef, Jacob Wuebker – Market Dairy, Charlie Henry – Breeding Dairy, Mollie Rogers – Rabbits, Chris Michaels – Dairy Goats, Rorie Stump – Boer Goats, Kobe Epperly – Sheep, Shayla Clark – Dogs, Ty Stikeleather – Swine.
Showman of Showman Competitors included: Carson Bergman – Beef, Chole Alexander – Dogs, Charlie Weiss – Breeding Dairy, Leah Homan – Market Dairy, Wriley Mullins – Boar Goats, Kam Kaffenberger – Dairy Market Goats, Nevan Miley – Equine, Cheyenne Swisher – Poultry, Isley DeMange – Rabbits, London Reichert – Sheep, and Adalyn Subler – Swine.
Showmen drew numbers at the beginning of each stage of the competition to determine which animal they would show. All competitors were required to wear white shirts, dark-colored jeans, and boots.
Following each leg of the competition, the representative from that species gave a brief demonstration of proper showmanship for the animal while judges were also given the opportunity to provide a brief explanation of their judging criteria.
Competitors and spectators anxiously awaited the results of the competition which were announced at the Celebration of Achievements held Thursday in the cattle arena.
The winner of the competition, Swisher, expressed her feelings about the accomplishment by saying, “I’m very, very, very shocked.” She explained that the winner of this competition doesn’t usually come from the poultry division but added, “If you work for what you want, you can get it.”
The Junior Fair department would also like to thank the sponsors of the contest. Darke Rural Electric donated the top five aluminum show boxes. Other sponsors include Merchants Bank of America, Mikesell Show Pigs, Derrick and Addie Mikesell, Park National Bank, and Jerry Hunt.
