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"When
you practice, you should feel like you’re in a show. I also had to
wash and blow-dry him once a week to train his hair," Nicole added.
Nicole
said she buys not only her feed from the Goshen Farmers Co-op, but the
supplies she needs for grooming and showing as well. She appreciates how
helpful the staff are and how much support they give her throughout the
year.
Co-op
manager Mike Thomas says he’s extremely proud of how well Nicole has
done with her show steers and wants her achievements to be recognized by
others. He also says Nicole doesn’t make it to the store every time
she needs more feed for Scooter.
"Daddy
won’t let me," Nicole said.
"He’s
just afraid you’ll buy a whole lot more than the feed," Thomas
joked.
Even
though Nicole enjoys shopping at her local Co-op, she says the two most
important elements for showing a steer can’t be bought at any store.
"Time
and patience. You really need a lot of both if you want to show. Some
days it may take twenty minutes just to catch the steer. And you can’t
expect them to come around overnight. The first time you wash and dry
them, they’ll try anything to get out of the chute, but eventually
they come around. I had to wash Scooter every day at District and State
in Montgomery, and as soon as I’d finish, he’d head for this huge
pile of shavings and get dusty again. But I like wash time. It’s just
me and my cow," Nicole said.
Nicole
says the time and effort required for having a show steer are far
outweighed by the rewards.
"Showing
has definitely made me more mature. Even the young kids that show are
more mature than some high school students. It takes a lot of
responsibility to care for an animal, getting and keeping it in show
condition. And my parents have definitely made sure I knew I was
responsible. ‘You made the decision to show, so you do the work,’
they say. And they mean it," Nicole said.
Nicole’s
parents, Kelvin and Faye Thomas of Goshen, are very suppor-tive of
Nicole’s showing. And while they do intend for her show experience to
teach her responsi-bility, her father has helped her.
"I
like them all," Nicole says of selecting a show calf from a herd of
prospects.
"Daddy
has to help make the decision. And I never go near Scooter with the
clippers. I know I would gap his hair up," Nicole admits.
In
addition to her parents and her Co-op, Nicole says she also appre-ciates
the encouragement of her sponsor, Jimmy Shaver of Goshen, and the
assistance of her Ag teacher and FFA sponsor, Rusty Yoemans.
Mr.
Yoemans says the Goshen Farmers Co-op is always supportive of the Ag and
FFA programs at Goshen High School, not just to the livestock projects.
"The
Co-op has helped us with our livestock projects, but they also help us
with horticulture products, and funding to take our students to the
National FFA Convention every year. Mike Thomas and the Co-op really
help us with everything; funding, supplies, or whatever, with a discount
if not an outright donation," says Yoemans.
Yoemans
also said that Nicole and Scooter are just a reflection of the changes
he’s seen in his 15 years as an Ag teacher.
"Used
to be, girls took Home Ec; boys took Ag. Now probably 30%-40% of my Ag
students are girls, and four of our six FFA officers are girls. Nicole
is this year’s Reporter for the FFA. A few girls have expressed an
interest in showing next year, and I hope the success Nicole and Scooter
have seen will continue to generate more interest in agriculture among
the young people in our community," Yoemans said.
Nicole
says that she would like to continue showing cattle and even branch out
into hogs as well. After high school, she plans to pursue a degree in
Animal Science at Auburn University and eventually have her own cattle
farm, producing stock for the next generation of exhibitors. She said
she also thinks about becoming a barrel racer.
In
addition to agriculture, Nicole enjoys softball and she is a member of
the GHS volleyball team, Student Government Association, Pep Club, and
the Future Business Leaders of America.
Kellie
Henderson is a freelance writer from Troy. |
