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utting the most rewarding twelve years of my life into words is one difficult task. As I competed in my very last National
to my last Junior National in Grand Island, I wasn’t prepared to say goodbye to the association that built me. I also wasn’t prepared to achieve another dream that is so hard to accomplish, being named the Grand Champion Owned Heifer at the 2021 National Junior Angus Show was something I never expected to say. I am so overwhelmed with joy and truly grateful for this experience. I will never forget this feeling, the cattle and the people. To the Angus Association and the Angus Foundation, thank you, you’ve supported me in more ways than I could’ve ever imagined. You gave me mentors for every step in my life and provided me a family I didn’t know I needed so badly. I’m so thankful for my Angus family. To Bob Funk and Express Ranches for continuous support throughout my Junior years. To Dan and Dawn Kelley, when I think about Angus cattle I think of all
Junior Angus Show I was faced with so much emotion.
I thought of the success I have previously faced as well as the times it didn’t go my way, I’m so thankful for both of these as it’s what makes this industry so fulfilling. Looking back at my first Junior National in 2010, I was a small town girl from Oregon with parents and an association that allowed me to dream big. At the age of nine I set a large goal for myself, I was determined to make the top 15 in showmanship at the NJAS. I am proud to say that nine-year-old Maddie’s biggest dream came true at the 2020 National Junior Angus Show as I won the prestigious showmanship contest I wanted so badly. However, I was not prepared for what I was to experience next. As I drove the 1,500 plus miles
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