Heights, Sheridan 4-H’ers Named Best Of The Best In Fair’s Supreme Showmanship

Three times is a charm for Kassidy Schakel, named the 2023 Hamilton County Supreme Showmanship Grand Champion.

The 51st annual contest took place Monday night at the Hamilton County 4-H Fair in Noblesville.

It was Schakel’s third time to compete in the contest.

The 17-year-old, a nine-year Hamilton County 4-H’er who will begin her senior year at Hamilton Heights High School, has been preparing for this Supreme Showmanship win since 2021, her first year in the contest. While she didn’t place in 2021, she returned stronger in 2022, earning a Supreme Showmanship Reserve Champion plaque.

Schakel said her experience in competing in Supreme Showmanship the past two years helped her to be better prepared for this year’s contest.

For Hamilton County 4-H’ers, like Schakel, who show livestock, Supreme Showmanship is the be-all and end-all in 4-H.

The Supreme Showmanship contest, celebrating its 51st year, has a purpose, which is to give Senior Showmanship winners an incentive to master showmanship, not only of their own animal but of seven species: horse, swine, beef cattle, dairy goat, sheep, dairy cow and meat goat.

The Senior Showmen winners from each of the seven species come together at this Supreme Showmanship contest each year on the Monday during the 4-H Fair to compete to be named Supreme Showman over all seven species.

The competitions put the best of the best in the show arena. Contestants wear white shirts, blue jeans, boots and their competition “letter” bibs.

During the competition, spectators fill the Show Arena to cheer on their favorite showmen, who compete with the seven different animal species, for which they were earlier deemed top shown. One species is shown at a time. Contestants draw numbers before each species and take the animals as they line up in the holding area. The horse showmanship is the first portion of the contest and takes place outdoors in the Horse Arena, weather permitting. (This year, Monday’s Supreme Showmanship, which took place in the Show Arena, was delayed for a brief time due to the Royal Showmanship being delayed due to weather and moved to the Llama Barn.)

Royal Showmanship works the same as Supreme Showmanship but with six small animal breeds that include dog, cat, rabbit, llama, poultry, and pygmy goat.

“I’ve taken the feedback from the scorecards and saw what I needed to work on and went out and I worked harder on those,” she said.

Gracie Fishers of Fishers, a 10-year 4-H’er and winner of the 2022 Supreme Showmanship, presented this year’s Supreme Showmanship Grand Champion plaque to the winner.

Earlier, on Sunday afternoon at the 4-H Fair, Schakel won Senior Sheep Showman, which qualified her to represent the Sheep barn in Monday evening’s Supreme Showmanship.

Each year, she received more tips on how to improve herself in the contest. She said her best tip was “Never give up on your dream and always keep fighting.”

During Monday night’s Supreme Showmanship contest, Schakel gained confidence right away, during the first round.

“When I felt like I had it, was right after the Horses, when I nailed the pattern, I was pretty happy about that. Then, when I got to Dairy Cattle and Dairy Goats, and I felt like I did good there, I was pretty confident the rest of the way,” Schakel said after posing for photos with the Grand Champion plaque.

This year, competing in Supreme Showmanship, five of the seven Senior Showmanship winners are females, and four of the Senior Showmanship winners hail from Hamilton Heights High School.

After earning Senior Sheep Showman on Sunday, she went to work practicing her showmanship skills with the six other breeds that she would be tested over in Monday’s contest. “I went to people I knew that were good at showing livestock, and I asked if they would be willing to help me … and it worked,” she said. Even without a good luck charm. She said she was “just hoping for the best.”

In 4-H this year, Schakel completed two projects, Beef Cattle and Sheep, and she felt that she did the best in Monday night’s Supreme Showmanship with the Beef Cattle.

Eli Kolb of Sheridan Ag 4-H Club, who represented the Beef Cattle species, was named Hamilton County Supreme Showmanship Reserve Grand Champion on Monday night.

What does Kolb attribute to his Reserve Grand Champion Supreme Showmanship award? “I think because I just stayed calm and just did what I know how to do,” said the 4-H’er in his ninth year of 4-H and showing animals.

Did he have any challenges during the contest? “The beef steer was getting a little wild, but I stayed calm and just tried to keep it under control,” he said.

On Monday afternoon, Kolb won Senior Beef Cattle Showman, which qualified him to represent the Beef Cattle barn in Monday evening’s Supreme Showmanship.

With just a few hours until the contest, how did he quickly prepare? “After the Cattle show, I went around and learned all of the different species and had people help me out for that … The Cattle show got over at 3 (p.m.) and I had until 7 (p.m.) to get ready.”

In 4-H this year, he completed the Cattle, Swine, Tractor Maintenance and Crops projects, his favorite “probably Cattle,” he said.

Kolb also during the 4-H Fair was named a state qualifier from the district tractor-driving contest in the Ag Tractor competition.

The son of Doug and Connie Kolb, he will be a senior this fall at Sheridan High School.

When asked what makes Kolb smile, the first-time contestant in the Supreme Showmanship contest, said, “Doing good out here and having fun.”

Past Supreme Showmanship Grand Champions Spencer Carson, from 2007, and Nathan Day, from 2003, were co-chairmen and co-emcees for the Supreme Showmanship.

Carson, 32, Arcadia, has helped with the Supreme Showmanship for the past few years. He graduated in 2009 from Hamilton Heights High School and in 2013 from Purdue University.

“I thought it ran smoothly for the challenges that we had, like normal. The weather, we can’t always predict that … The skills of the showmen were good … I think they all did a nice job and, overall, a complete set of showmen.”

The seven 2023 Senior Showmen competing in Supreme Showmanship: -Pilar Bravo, Indianapolis, Giddy Up Gang 4-H Club, daughter of Syreeta and Ignacio Bravo, eight-year 4-H’er, Perry Meridian High School senior, representing Horse & Pony.

-McKinley Underhill, Noblesville, Llama Trekkers 4-H Club, daughter of Sean and Amy Underhill, 10-year 4-H’er, 2023 Noblesville High School graduate, representing Dairy Goats.

– Eli Kolb, Sheridan, Sheridan Ag 4-H Club, son of Doug and Connie Kolb, nine-year 4-H’er, Sheridan High School senior, representing Beef Cattle.

-Kassidy Schakel, Atlanta, Jackson Hotshots 4-H Club, daughter of Chris and Dawn Schakel, nine-year 4-H’er, Hamilton Heights High School senior, representing Sheep

-Olivia Long, Cicero, Husky 4-H’ers, daughter of Lloyd and Keturah Long, 10-year 4-H’er, 2023 Hamilton Heights High School graduate and freshman at Purdue University this fall, representing Dairy Cattle.

-Jayden Williams, Noblesville, Walnut Lassies & Laddies 4-H Club, daughter of Jayson Williams, 10-year 4-H’er, 2023 Hamilton Heights High School graduate and a freshman at Ball State University this fall, representing Meat Goats.

-Keagan Shively, Noblesville, Heartland 4-H’ers 4-H Club, son of Matt and Bobbi Shively, seven-year 4-H’er, Hamilton Heights High School sophomore, representing Swine.

Each of the 4-H’ers were earlier Senior Showman in each species’ animal barn to qualify for the Supreme Showmanship.

-Betsy Reason writes about people, places and things in Hamilton County. Contact The Times Editor Betsy Reason at [email protected].