It’s official, only 17 more Days until Junior Nationals….Whoa, where has the time gone?! Most of you are busy getting ready, so we put together all the different ways to “Stand Out” during the Junior National contests. Plus, lots of little tips and reminders to keep in mind!

 

Arts & Crafts, Photography, Promotional Poster and Graphic Design

• Attention to detail: You may think that some things may not be noticeable or it looks “good enough” But looking at all of the details to your creative piece is the best way to avoid errors and have an overall impactful piece of work. Most importantly, EDIT EDIT EDIT!
• Find your creativity: Don’t be afraid to go for something unique or put your own “stamp” on it, judges appreciate originally and authenticity.
• Put together different options: If you’re stumped on what to do or can’t decide on just one idea, try them all! Give yourself the opportunity to try different things and see which one really takes you the farthest.
• Get that 2^nd opinion: Have other people go over your work, reach out to professionals to get tips on how you can improve, it can’t hurt!
• Visual impact: First impressions are everything, when the judges see your piece for the first time you’ll want there to be a positive impact.

Beef Cook-Off

• Presentation: Don’t wait until the day of to decide on how you will present your meal, put some thought into it and practice!
• Make a plan: Understand the strengths of each chef on the team, who does what? Instead of everyone all going for it think about the organization, the different jobs/duties on the team. This will definitely make the experience more ‘stress-free’ and a fun experience!
• Be ready for the Judges: Yikes, get ready for those questions! Be sure to know your recipe forward and backward and all of the ingredients you will be using, don’t leave anything out!

Quiz Bowl

• Effort: Even though it’s summer break, hit the books and STUDY STUDY STUDY.
• We can’t tell you the exact questions… but here’s the categories to freshen up on; Nutrition, breeding, anatomy, history, general beef knowledge and facts about the Shorthorn Association.

Showmanship

• Presentation: Although this is a no-fit showmanship competition, make sure your animal is clean and ready to walk into the show ring.
• Don’t forget about yourself! Be sure to dress in an appropriate and professional manner.
• Tick Tock: Don’t be late! Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to spare and keep an eye on how fast/slow the judge is moving. You don’t want to get your animal up to early/late. With Keeping timing in mind you’ll be ready for “showtime.”

Reminders:

• Bulls cannot be shown
• There’s a peewee competition for Juniors under the age of 5
• You must use the same animal throughout the competition

 

Team Salesmanship and Speech

• Confidence: Judges are impressed by confidence and if you mess up just keep going! Most likely the judges won’t even notice just continue on as if nothing had happened, just remain cool, calm and collected.
• Eye contact: It’s important to know the difference between “staring someone down” and having the appropriate amount of eye contact. Practice your presentation with a friend or family member and find what works for you.
• Really selling it: Show your excitement and passion about what you are presenting, make the judge think “Wow! They really knew what they were talking about!” or “They were really interesting to listen to!”

Reminders:

• The judges will ask questions
• Dress for Speech Contest: prospectors are school clothes, seniors are semi-formal.

Fitting

• Don’t do that!: Make sure you are aware of the inappropriate fitting practices and review what and what is not allowed in The Edge or Exhibitor Folder.
• Make a plan: Know who is doing what on the team, assign jobs and areas one team member should concentrate on.
• Set a goal: What can you accomplish in the given amount of time? Make a list of priorities, what is most important? What needs to be accomplished first? Be conscious of you time, only 20 minutes!
• Keep your fitting area clean and presentable for the judges.

Reminders:

• Animals may enter the ring with a show halter in the prospector division only.
• Don’t forget any of your supplies, generators are encouraged to make sure you have enough power.
• Team members may be from any state as this doesn’t go towards the outstanding State award.

Judging

• Things to know: The contest is scheduled to include 5 classes (12 minutes per class). There will be 10 questions. There will be 3 cattle classes, 1 hog and 1 sheep class when other livestock is available. IF other species aren’t available we will use only cattle classes.
• Practice any potential questions you may receive from the judges!

 

Not signed up as an exhibitor for Junior Nationals? But you are a member of the American Junior Shorthorn Association? You can still compete in the contests! Just pay the exhibitor fee and sign up at Junior Nationals!

Or for the kids that are 5 years of age or under there’s still lots of fun activities to participate in! Email emily@shorthorn.org to sign up for Shorthorn Sidekicks!

Hope we could help with the preparation for this year’s Junior National contests. If you have any more questions regarding any of the contests or need tips and advice feel free to contact us here at the office!