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Growing up, my family didn’t have much. We were evicted from our home when I was little, and I moved around to live with multiple family members as I grew up. After years of living that life of insecurity and inconsistency, I found a place at Boys Ranch Town in 2023. It took time to feel like the ranch was my home. I had trouble adjusting to this new life. I was angry a lot, had problems with authority, and didn’t trust or respect anybody. In short, I was a bad kid. When I first joined the show team, I didn’t have a good steer to show, and I wasn’t yet confident in my abilities in the barn. Instead of letting that bring me down, it made me work ten times harder. Between rinsing him three times a day and brushing until he was dry, I was always in the barn. Mr. Blakey, our executive director, noticed me and my determination throughout that time. When a new group of steers came into the
barn, I was given first pick. I didn’t immediately think my steer was the best, but I could tell that he could be something great. I brought him in the barn every single weekday and most weekends, too. I learned the valuable lesson that an average steer can become an amazing steer depending on how well you take care of it – in the same way that an amazing steer can struggle if you neglect it. I’ve also learned that showing is not all about your steer. You, the showman, have a big impact on how your animal can look. It takes responsibility and maturity to show a steer at a high level, and I can thank my time on the BRT show team for teaching me about what it takes to have those qualities. Living at Boys Ranch Town and being part of Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children has offered so much to me. I’ve learned a lot of life skills and had so many people mentoring me
to become a better person. They’ve shown what it means to have a relationship with God and not live for yourself. Being on the show team with Mr. Blakey has taught me how to seek God in everything I do, including how I act and what I say, even in the show ring. Showing cattle is not just something that you do to do – it teaches you life skills that you can’t learn anywhere else. At BRT, our show team really is a team. When someone is sick or goes away for the weekend, you help each other out. When one of us wins, we all share that together. Having the opportunity to win this award for Mr. Blakey and my team was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. God is working on this campus. I’m thankful for how he is working through this show team and in me, too. ●
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GRAND CHAMPION ANGUS STEER
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