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Local 4-H'ers excel at winter fair

4H members come away with first places and great finishes.
63834ashcroftCOMM4h15Nov12
L-R: Mackenzie Woodburn

The Ashcroft 4H Club, consisting of nine members - seven in sheep and two in beef, came together for a strong finish at the 77th annual provincial winter fair in Barriere. The stalls that were designed by Sherri Oliver were plastered with many ribbons and trophies consisting of Reserve Champion, 1sts, 2nds, 3rds.

Members Mackenzie Woodburn and Alison Spooner participated in the Trim and Fit which consists of hand shearing a lamb in 90 minutes. They were very nervous going into this event and were hesitant to do so but ended up First out of 11 teams.

They had to judge market and ewe lambs, place the lambs in the correct order and give written reasons as to why the lambs were placed in this order.  Mackenzie received First in this event out of all the participants at the fair: Her mark was 98 out of 100.

Ashly Schroeder truly shines in the showmanship events. She holds herself with pride and the smile that she shows is so true and genuine. She received

Second in Showmanship Class, Second in weight class, Second in group of three and Fifth in group of 5.

Leeza Schroeder always found time to help her team mates with washing and brushing their animals as well as readying her own. She received Fourth in showmanship Class, Second in market weight class, Fourth in group of two and Fifth in group of five.

Kayla Schroeder was there anytime we needed anything. Even when it was a job she didn’t want to do, she did it with pure grace and a smile. Kayla received Fourth in market class, Fifth in showmanship, Fifth in market class – open, Fourth in group of two and Fifth in group of five.

Alison Spooner worked her heart out keeping the stalls clean and tidy. She was worn out but she was like the Energizer Bunny - she just kept going and going.

Ali received Second in Showmanship Class, Sixth in market class, Seventh in open market, Third in Ewe open class, Reserve Grand Champion in ewe with lamb, Second in group of three and Fifth in group of five.

Mackenzie Woodburn managed to get every piece of clothing soaking wet. She had five sheep to wash and shear and worked from 6am to 11:30pm getting the lambs looking their best for their big events. Hard work paid off. She received Second in market class, Fourth in Ewe class, Third in yearling ewe, Reserve Champion in ewe with lamb at foot, Third in showmanship class, and Second in group of three, Fifth in group of five. She was the handler in the group classes.

This was Skylar Brown’s first year and she impressed everyone with what she has learned. She received Fourth in showmanship, Fourth in ewe class, Fourth in market class, Second in group of three and Fifth in group of five.

Haley Schroeder did great in the beef ring. With such a large animal, it would be hard to keep them calm and looking their best but she did just that. Haley received First in showmanship, Seventh in market weight class and Fourth in Fred Nichol showmanship.

Brenna Kellington put the other clubs to shame with her country theme for her stall. Her experience in the show ring was rewarded as she won First in her showmanship class, Fouth in heifer class and Fourth in steer market class.

Kalin Speller is the youngest member of the club at just 4 years old. He whipped his lambs Joe-Diffy and Joe-Dirt around like he’d been showing for years.

Pearce Brown, although not yet a member, helped all the people in the Ashcroft 4-H Club. His stall duty was amazing and he showed great leadership helping Kalin in the show ring. He will be a great asset to the club.

With all the members putting forward such hard work, the ribbons and trophies piled up and they received a final trophy for top aggregate points. These points add up from all the disciplines - stall competition, showmanship, trim and fit, judging, group class, market class, ewe class, yearling ewe, ewe with lamb at foot. (The ewe class is a three-year project.) Thank you to each member for all their hard work. We are extremely proud of all their accomplishments.

Thank you, also, to all the parents who make the club what it is today. They all just pitch in where it is needed. Also a huge thank you to A-leader Monty Kinvig - words can’t describe what you do for us.

To our local supporters, we thank you so very much. Without your generosity and support it would be very difficult to achieve our goals: Second Time Around, Wastech Services Ltd., Pacific Substrate, Desert Hills Ranch and Leona Spooner.

Anyone interested in learning more about 4-H and what it can offer our youth please contact Barb @ (250)457-9969 or Monty @ (250)457-0041

Barb Woodburn