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hair rivaling many Fort Worth calves, but we also knew he had immense potential as a slick calf. Walking into the Grand Drive at the Austin Rodeo, I was nervous, but knew Luka was special. When the judge slapped Luka as his Grand Champion, in a flash I realized that Luka and I had done it – we were the first Schickedanz’ to win a Texas Major! Only a few days later, we headed to Houston with, Kareem. We always had high hopes for Kareem, and he did not disappoint. A mere six days after winning Austin, we made our walk to the NRG Stadium for the Grand Drive, I tried to stay calm and just enjoy the moment. Our team knew the judge really liked Kareem, but did he like him enough? As I entered the arena in front of nearly 75,000 people, I was focused on keeping my overly anxious steer calm. It all happened so fast, I could hardly believe that I had just won Grand Champion at Houston – the largest Jr Livestock Show in the world, with the first all-black Grand Champion steer at Houston in over 20 years!
The past few years have been unforgettable for me and my sisters. About three years ago with the amazing mentorship of Kirby Eaves and Kyle Tarter, my younger sister, Sydney, won our first brand at Fort Worth. Since then, we have seen enormous success as a family, not only in Texas, but across the nation. We love traveling to the Arizona National Show, hanging banners in both the market and prospect shows. My older sister, Maddie, had an amazing senior year, finishing her career with the 2024 Reserve Grand Champion Market Steer in Houston. This past year, I have had many suc- cessful majors, including Reserve Grand Champion Market Steer at the Amarillo Junior Classic and a Heavyweight exotic class winner at Fort Worth. Steer showing has taught me to have patience, how to win, how to lose, and ultimately the confidence to keep grinding and working
toward my goals, because: “winners never quit and quitters never win”. ●
M A Y / J
U N E 20 25
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