beyond the backdrop
I think the most important thing any winner would tell you is you don’t just walk in and win. There are hours and hours of behind the scenes work that no one in the stand witnesses, only you and the animal will know what happened before show day. It was early mornings and late nights and every hour in between that led to that win. Daily observations to adjust feed, perfecting skin and hair, fine tuning showmanship it all came together for a win. When my goat and I pranced into the coliseum at the Illinois State Fair it was magical. The special bond between my goat and I made me happy that we got to share this moment together as we both pushed each other to get to this point. I felt we were unstoppable as a team, but knew others put in the same amount of effort and had a shot too. When the judge approached me to shake my hand, an electrifying feeling filled my body, and I was honored to be the 2022 Grand Champion Meat Goat. The win at the Illinois state fair meant more than just a purple banner. To see that all of my behind the scenes work of daily grind, commitment and sacrifice came together for a win was something that I won’t soon forget. •
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