and the way they conduct themselves in a professional manner. I thoroughly feel that’s how my parents have tried to raise my brother and I. In my opinion, what makes our family special is our tight knit bond and love for one another. My judging kids often make fun of me for being on my phone quite often in the judging van, but you can count that I’ll always be talking with a member of our crew checking and seeing how things are going at home or what they may have going on that day. I was very fortunate and blessed to be born into a family that no matter what time day or night there is always someone there. As tight knit as we are, we root for each other like no other. If one of us has success we all do, and we’ve followed that mold since I can remember. My brother and I push each other to become better versions of ourselves and to be honest if he succeeds that’s just as good of a
feeling if not even better than if I do something well. The industry we work in is driven by success and the kids that judge for my brother and I know how hard we pull for one another and how much it means to us that they all do well. We strive to be people that younger members of our industry look up to and set a good example in all aspects of life. I know we talk a lot about livestock judging but I feel our success determined by the students’ doings 5-10 years after they leave the collegiate ranks just as much as turning in cards and hearing the results at a contest. It’s up to us to help mold these people and be there for them when they need us. We are extremely loyal to the people that are a member of the “team” as we call it. If they need something they know we are always one phone call away. To sum this up, I like how we work as a team for a common goal and
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are willing to sacrifice as a family to get there. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? I used to have the fear of letting down especially those that are close to me. I’m sure several can resign with putting success at the forefront of their mission. To be honest with you, after my son Clancy came along, I realized there is a lot more to life than winning a judging contest or making it to a backdrop at a livestock show. What pushes me now is to be a better person for my family and bring those around me closer to God. Proverbs 29:18 is my favorite verse, it states “Where there is no vision people perish.” With age and maturity, I realized there is a lot more to life
than garnering success, if I’m a good person for my family and push those around me to see the big picture in life I feel like I have done my job. Don’t get me wrong, I realize success is important and it’s the driving factor of the world we live in today; but we have to keep in mind what success is. Success to me is a tool that provides us with a platform. To those reading this, I hope you know that people look up to you and especially your children or your close family and friends, how you use this tool is up to you. You can use success to grow greed or arrogance, you can also use it as a tool to build new connections and continue to push this industry forward as a whole. I told
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