BUCYRUS, OH (Crawford County Now)—To round out the fair week, this year’s coveted title of Showman of Showmen was handed to its new recipient, Kendal Widman.
Kendal Widman is an 18-year-old graduate of Colonel Crawford High School and Tri-Rivers Career Center, where she was a member of the Vet Science program.
Widman is a member of the Sulphur Springs Star Farmers 4-H Club and Tri-Rivers FFA Chapter through which she exhibited her beef cattle and goats.
Having won the Showman of Showmen competition in 2021, Widman was no stranger to the challenges the competition presents.
“My favorite to show was the pigs and my least favorite was definitely the alpacas. They were definitely a new thing to learn because I’m used to always being on the opposite side of the judge and instead you were always on the same side as the judge,” Widman said.
Advice that Widman offered to others on showmanship was always to stay calm because your animal can sense it, always smile, and do your best.
This year’s reserve champion, Rylinn Edgington, is a 16-year-old junior at Colonel Crawford and a member of the Young Riders 4-H club where she shows sheep.
Like Widman, Edgington’s favorite was the pig, and her least favorite was the alpaca.
“My least favorite was probably alpacas and llamas. Just because mine wasn’t really behaving for me and I kind of struggled gaining control of it and it was a completely different thing than sheep. And my favorite was probably pigs just because I liked the intensity factor of it and getting to keep eye contact with the judge and trying to find the best view for him,” Edgington said.
Edgington’s advice for showmanship was always to work hard, no matter what.
“Just work hard every day, even if no one’s watching, because the late nights at the barn really pay off. Even if you don’t think you’re going to be the best, if you keep working hard you’ll get there eventually.”
Edgington thanked her parents for supporting her through everything and Caitlin Koschnick for being her biggest supporter through everything.
Rounding out the impressive top trio was another Colonel Crawford student.
Sydney Stirm, a 16-year-old junior, is a member of the Colonel Crawford FFA chapter, and she shows a beef heifer and market hogs.
Stirm’s favorite to show was the dairy feeders, and her least favorite was the horse.
“My most favorite was definitely the dairy feeders. They’re really similar to beef cattle and other livestock species that I’ve been around. The intensity is really important and then just ring presence comes in a lot. My least favorite was probably horses because a lot of it’s just for show. There’s not a lot of rhyme or reason behind it, and so it’s just kind of to look pretty and that is more difficult for me,” Stirm said.
Stirm’s advice on showmanship is always to be dedicated.
“Showmanship is something you’re able to control to a certain aspect and then the next thing is you’ve got to be willing to watch other shows. It takes a lot of time sitting down and just watching shows happen, watching how people do things, looking at pictures, changing how your hands are: all of those things are super, super important and the details matter. And then second of all, you’ve got to be willing to work hard and also ask questions. If you’re at a place and you see someone and you want to get better, it’s most important that you’re willing to go up and ask them questions, see how you can improve, and see if they’re willing to work with you because nine times out of ten, people are more than happy to help.”
Stirm had many people in her corner to support her when asked if she had anyone she wanted to thank for helping her along the way.
“I’d like to thank our entire people behind us, my family is super supportive and all my siblings. If it wasn’t for them, we couldn’t do it. My teammates on my judging team were all super important to me. They’ve allowed me to excel in all the different areas and gave me different livestock knowledge. And then every single breeder, person that’s ever beat me in my life, and person that’s ever been behind me, because those kinds of people have pushed me to work harder and to be a better version of myself,” Stirm said.
2024 Showman of Showmen participants
Horse – Hailey Speck
Dairy – Connor Corwin
Goat – Kendal Widman
Dairy feeder – Seth Pope
Lambs – Rylinn Edgington
Alpacas – Cassandra Kurek
Beef – Sydney Stirm
Swine – Ally Liming
Rabbit – Sydney Furr
Poultry – Keegan Rutledge