Jordan Studer
CCN Reporter
BUCYRUS— It has been said that the third time is a charm, Mariah Cotsamire seemed to believe that to be true after the Crawford County Fair Showman of Showmen Contest on Friday evening. Cotsamire made her third appearance in the contest, and this one proved to be her year as she took home the title Showman of Showmen.
Ten senior showmen, each representing different animal species, brought their knowledge to the arena to see who could handle all the animals the best. Each showman had been selected earlier in the week by winning their animal species showmanship. Whoever came out on top at the end of the night, would be named Showman of Showmen.
After a contest filled with sweat and hard work, Cotsamire, representing alpacas took the winning title. The lambs representative, Alan Leonhardt took second place. Leonhardt was followed by Levi Hartschuh, goats representative, in third.
The competition was tight and it all came down to Cotsamire’s three first place rankings in dairy, rabbits, and poultry that broke the tie between her and Leonhardt, who came in second. Hartshuh was one point behind Leonhardt, proving that the top three representatives all had a lot of knowledge about how to be a good showman.
When asking Cotsamire how many years she has been showing she said she has eight years of experience showing alpacas and many years showing chickens as well. Her knowledge for the rest of the animals she credited to her wealth of friends who had various species and were willing to help her prepare for the contest.
Before the contest, Cotsamire had some worries regarding a few categories but knew that if she remained calm, the animals would remain calm as well.
“I just tried to keep my composure and hopefully the animal would work with me, and they did for the most part,” Cotsamire said.
Despite the heat, Cotsamire thoroughly enjoyed the contest. Yet, preparing for the night was her favorite part.
“Tonight was awesome, but leading up to it I always think is the best part. Getting to meet with everybody from different species and make new friends along the way,” she expressed.
When asked what she believed the key was to being a good showmen, Cotsamire was quick to share what she has learned.
“Honestly, I just like to always keep eye contact with the judge. Just keep your composure, stay calm, work with the animal, and just have a good time- that’s the most important part!” Cotsamire said.
To Cotsamire, the night was all about making memories,”I had a lot of fun and got to compete with a lot of friends this year. It’s just all about the experience. I’m just thankful I could walk away with this trophy.”
Leonhardt said that the he enjoyed getting to show all the different species and give his showman skills a test. In the past, Leonhardt had many years of experience showing hogs and lambs, but this year he decided to just stick with showing lambs.
His experience of showing for about ten years seemed to help Leonhardt keep a face of composure no matter the animal. Despite his confidence, Leonhardt confessed that the species that challenged him the most as a showman was the rabbits.
“I didn’t know a lot of terminology about the rabbit breeds,” Leonhardt said.
Despite the challenge, Leonhardt said the night was very enjoyable and memorable. When asking him how he felt about the night he was quick to reply.
“It was fun,” saying his favorite part was, “Getting to show all the different species at the fair.”
No matter the challenge the showmen faced that evening, upon conclusion of the contest, smiles, hugs, and handshakes were shared genuinely all around.
A complete list of the showmen who participated and the animal species they represented can be found below:
Cecilia Wurm- Horse
Natalie Goldfuss- Dairy
Levi Hartschuh- Goats
Michelle Flick- Dairy Beef
Alan Leonhardt- Lambs
Mariah Cotsamire- Alpacas
Zach Harer- Beef
Blake Beckley- Swine
Madison Furr- Rabbit
Bryce Tieben- Poultry