Gracie Fisher is Supreme Showman in 50th Annual 4-H Fair Competition

Tears flowed on Monday night as Gracie Fisher hugged her family and friends and clutched to her large wooden award plaque after being named the 2022 Hamilton County Supreme Showmanship Grand Champion.

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

The 50th annual contest took place at the Hamilton County 4-H Fair in Noblesville.

“I’m so proud and so excited and thankful. This is it. It’s over now,” said the 2022 Hamilton Southeastern High School graduate and daughter of Jon and Tracy Fisher.

Three times is a charm for the 18-year-old, a 10-year Hamilton County 4-H’er, who has been preparing for this moment for several years, earning Reserve Supreme Showmanship in 2019 and 2020.

Fisher lives on a 3.5-acre farm in the Noblesville/Fishers area, where her family raises Dairy Cattle, Beef Cattle, Pygmy Goats and Sheep.

In 2019, she was named Hamilton County’s Supreme Showmanship Reserve Champion, representing Dairy Cattle.

In 2020, she was named Hamilton County Supreme Showmanship Reserve Champion, representing Beef Cattle (which was postponed until the beginning of the 2021 Fair due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

In 2020, she was also named Hamilton County Royal Showmanship Grand Champion, representing Pygmy goats.

She said all of the experience helped her be better prepared for this year’s contest.

On Monday afternoon at the 2022 4-H Fair, Fisher won Senior Beef Showman, which qualified her to represent the Beef Cattle in Monday evening’s Supreme Showmanship, during which she earned Supreme Showmanship Grand Champion.

The Supreme Showmanship contest, celebrating its 50th 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: beef, dairy, dairy goat, horse, meat goat, sheep and swine.

During the competition, spectators fill the show arena to cheer on their favorite showmen (This year, all seven Supreme contestants were females), who compete with the seven different animal species, for which they were earlier deemed top shown.

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

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

Going into Monday night’s competition, Fisher had only one thought on her mind,  to do her best. “I tried to forget the past and focus on what I know,” she said.

Hamilton Southeastern High School teacher of more than 40 years, Tom Younts — who has been involved in the county 4-H program for 36 years, volunteering with 4-H cattle, swine and sheep — was Fisher’s Livestock Production teacher at HSEHS. He was right there on the Show Arena floor proudly watching his student compete and win the glory on Monday.

“Two years, she was close; she was Reserve (in 2019 and 2020). Last year, she didn’t make it (to Supreme),” said Younts. “It was a hard pill to swallow. You know it’s been a goal since she got into high school. It’s like something we talk about, we talk about in class….”

Younts thought back earlier in the day on Monday when Fisher qualified for Supreme Showmanship by winning Senior Beef Showman. He remembers thinking, “At least she’s in. It’s all up to her now. You just have to open the door. She’ll fill the room and take care of everything else.”

What put Fisher over the top to achieve the win this time around? “I think probably being through it once before helped and not winning, being Reserve, and not winning last year, and not getting in, gave her added motivation that she wanted it,” Younts said.

Mom Tracy Fisher said, “I’m so proud. She worked so hard….”

The mom turned and looked at her daughter and said, “This is how you go out at 10 years. You did awesome.”  And they hugged.

Kassidy Schakel, Atlanta, a member of Jackson Hotshots 4-H Club, was 2022 Supreme Showmanship Reserve Champion, representing Sheep. Other Senior Showmen competing in Supreme Showmanship were Macie Barth, Carmel, Giddy Up Gang 4-H Club, representing Horse; Olivia Long, Cicero, Husky 4-H’ers, representing Dairy Cattle; Kaitlyn Graham, Anderson, Southeastern 4-H Club, representing Swine; Tatym Green, Cicero, New Heights 4-H Club, representing Meat Goat; and Helen Koch, Sheridan, Harey Hoppers 4-H Club, representing Dairy Goat. Each of the 4-H’ers were earlier Senior Showman in each species’ animal barn to qualify for the Supreme Showmanship.

Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.