Multi-year competitor takes Johnson County’s Master Showman title

For some 4-Hers, excelling at showing one animal species isn’t enough. They try to master them all.

Josie Kelsay, an 18-year-old who recently graduated from Whiteland Community High School, earned the title of master showman in the Master Showmanship Contest on Thursday. In front of attendees and several judges, six 4-Hers competed head-to-head showing multiple animal species in a battle of showmanship.

This year’s contestants were Kelsay, Evie Mahan, Lauren Peddycord, Colton Kephart, Liza Browning and Grace Ellis. On Thursday, the six competitors showed horses, swine, beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats and sheep. They each earned a spot in the competition because they won a species-specific showmanship competition earlier in the week.

The contest is open to individuals who won the beef, dairy, goat, sheep, swine or horse and pony showmanship competitions during the fair. The animals shown during the Master Showmanship Contest do not belong to the participants and they typically don’t have much experience with showing other species going into the competition.

Kelsay, representing the dairy cattle barn this year, competed in the contest two other times prior to her win on Thursday. She said she felt excited, happy and thankful after conquering the challenge.

“I’m really excited that I finally paid off all the hard work that I put into learning about all these animals and finally could get the trophy and get my name up on that wall,” she said.

Collectively in her time in 4-H, Kelsay has shown sheep, pigs, dairy cattle and goats. But being a master showman isn’t just about mastering a few animal species, the competitors have to master them all.

Once Kelsay learned she would be in the Master Showmanship Contest, she started contacting her friends who show in other barns so she could learn how to show the other animals.

“Having no background with horses or beef cattle really was kind of a struggle,” Kelsay said. “… They’re both very different animals and controlling them, they are very different than dairy cattle, and just learning to overcome all the struggles with them both was just a very good challenge for me and I’m glad it all paid off.”

Showing multiple species proved to be a challenge for many of the competitors and each had to quickly become comfortable with all of the animal species they would show.

Lauren Peddycord, a 17-year-old from Indian Creek High School representing the beef cattle barn, said she only had a full day on Wednesday and a short time on Thursday to prepare for the competition. Thankfully, she said the community was willing to help her prepare. She also had experience showing pigs and being around sheep but she predominately has experience with beef cattle.

For her, the hardest part was showing horses.

“It’s such a big animal you’ve never really seen before,” she said. “It’s very different and they’re just such a cool animal that you just really need to have a partner with.”

Peddycord has been in the contest once before. She said she was heartbroken last year when she didn’t qualify for the contest, but it taught her to work harder and when she finally got in this year, she was “so ecstatic and so happy” that her hard work paid off.

Colton Kephart, a 17-year-old from Indian Creek High School representing the sheep barn, also thought showing horses was hardest because participants had to show more of themselves, their posture and their body language. For other species, he said 4-Hers hold onto halters and using tools to direct the animal where they want them to go.

Despite how competitors feel about each animal, they still have to find a way to do their best in the competition. Kephart said preparing to be a master showman involves a lot of networking to find people who are good at individual species and learn from them, try to pick up things they do and learn how to interact with the animals.

He entered the contest for the second time this year and remembers last year being a great experience.

“I really wanted to do my best and try and win because it just means a lot to say you were the best showman at the county fair,” he said, “and I was really excited to be able to go and show my hard work and prove that I can be one of the best.”

Like others, 15-year-old homeschool student Liza Browning, also forged connections with others to prepare and practice for the contest once she learned she made it into the competition. Each year she has competed, the horse barn representative has always found other competitors’ divisions and animals cool to see. The challenge of learning more about the other species is what made her want to be in the Master Showmanship Contest, she said.

“It was really just a fun experience to be with other people that knew so much about those animals, like I don’t even have a clue about some of those animals,” Browning said. “So just to be able to be hands-on with them in a non-threatening environment like this, and it just help me feel more confident today.”

For Browning showing horses was her comfort zone, but she also loved showing beef cattle because they are a similar size to horses and there is familiarity there. Showing pigs was most difficult for her because she is used to showing an animal with a halter on. Only having a whip to guide the pig was daunting for her, along with challenges stemming from the animal’s temperament and build, she said.

There are several ideas that may come to mind when a person contemplates what makes a master showman.

Browning believes it’s a person who spends time with the animals they will be showing, while Kephart believes it takes hard work and animal skills to keep everything calm and relaxed.

To Peddycord is grit and determination.

“You have to put all your might in, no matter what,” Peddycord said. “You have to be so confident, even if you’re wrong, you have to be confident with what you’re doing and you can’t be timid.”

To Kelsay, confidence and calm are the keys.

“I think it takes someone who is willing to step out of their comfort zone and be able to show other livestock just as well as the one they represent … I was really confident going into it and I think that’s what it takes. You have to be confident with every animal,” she said.

“Another thing is, it might be five minutes or 10 minutes or 15 minutes you’re in the ring, but however long you’re in the ring, you gotta fake it ‘till you make it. If a problem happens, just kind of wipe it off your face. Don’t show that you are stressed out or mad. Stay calm through it all.”