Your First Jackpot Show: Everything You Need to Know (HYSLC Explained)

Thinking about going to your first jackpot show… but not sure where to start?

This episode is for you.

We sat down with Daren Chambers and Cody Long from the Heartland Youth Show Lamb Circuit (HYSLC) to break down everything a show family needs to know before pulling into their first jackpot.

From finding and entering shows on the Showman app… to what actually happens when you arrive… to how the rings work and how to not miss your class — we walk through the entire day step-by-step.

If you’ve never been to a jackpot before, this is the conversation we wish we had.

In this episode, we cover:

• What the HYSLC circuit is and how it works
• How to find and enter jackpot shows
• What to expect when you arrive on show day
• How classes, rings, and double headers actually run
• What to bring (for both your lambs and your kids)
• Common beginner mistakes — and how to avoid them
• Why showmanship still matters (more than you think)

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to get more comfortable on the circuit, this episode will help you show up prepared and confident.

Because the hardest part of jackpots… is just getting started.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to Cheat Codes. Today's episode, we're talking jackpot shows. Specifically the HY SLC circuit. And I'll be honest, we've never even been to one. This is going to be a true beginner conversation. What I want to do today is break this all down how you find and enter a show, what happens when you pull into the fairgrounds, how the rings work, and how to actually survive your first jackpot show without feeling completely lost. I've got Darren Chambers and Cody Long on with me, guys that are in this every weekend, and we're going to unpack everything we wish we knew before showing up for the first time. If you've ever thought about going to a jackpot but didn't know where to start, this is the episode. Let's get into it. Cody, tell me a little bit about yourself and your involvement in the circuit.

SPEAKER_02 0:45

Yeah, yep. Glad to be on, Tom, and appreciate the opportunity. Yeah, as Tom said, I'm Cody Long. I'm from Creston, Iowa, or just at Orient, which is just north of Creston, and live on an acreage that's part of the family farming operation down there with my wife Kate as well. And as far as then my involvement in the Heartland Youth Show Lamb circuit, I started showing sheep when I was in 4-H. So have been involved and been active in the jackpot circuit for a long time, ever since I first started in 4-H until I aged out. So lots of experience there, lots of weekends on the road and early mornings, late nights, uh just trailing the circuit, as people say. Now my role has kind of evolved. I sit on the board for the Heartland Youth Show Lamb Circuit as the treasurer. Um, so mainly just heading up the finances, making sure we have enough money and uh awards and things like that that we can go ahead and make sure we have a positive experience for all the kids from start to finish.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

Perfect. Darren, tell us a little bit about yourself and your involvement in the circuit.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

I'm from Lacona, Iowa, just about 45 minutes southeast of the fairgrounds in Des Moines. I've been on the Heartland board now for maybe uh six years. I don't quite remember what year I joined, but I just kind of started volunteering. They needed help, and uh I've just been on it ever since. So I'd I'm probably the one that's been on it the longest. We kind of, I don't know if you call us the new board, but we basically turned over the whole board just a few years ago. In the past, it was ran by Danielle Holmes, and she did a fantastic job running it, and then she kind of turned it over to us younger generation. So yeah, it's been a lot of fun, and I really enjoy working with the kids and the other board members.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

Awesome. Well, let's just uh start simple. What is the HY SLC?

SPEAKER_02 2:34

Yeah, so as a whole, the Heartland Youth Show Lamb Circuit, abbreviated the HY SLC, it's a nonprofit organization uh that works in collaboration with jackpot shows throughout the spring, summer, and fall. And so what we do is we bring all of these individual events together and we put a point system together to create a circuit. And so throughout the year, as kids go to each individual event, they can accumulate points along the way. And then so we offer the services to track those points and make that happen throughout the year, and then we also put a spring show on that is a doubleheader, and then we also put a fall show on that is a doubleheader, and then along with our fall show, we do a whole year-end award ceremony, so that is where we will go through all the top points exhibitors throughout the year and their respective divisions and overall.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

And how big of an area, how big of a footprint does the circuit cover?

SPEAKER_00 3:32

There's no restrictions. Any any show can or any show in any state, cheap show, obviously, can sanction in the summer. Like Cody said, our biggest foothold is in Iowa. We do have a few shows in southern Minnesota right now that well that historically they've been with us. Missouri has their own association, but we're mainly here in Iowa, but we are an open book to any show that would like to sanction as well. And we're also open to exhibitors from any state: Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois. I mean, we have people come over here and join our circuit from other states, but it's open to anybody. Anybody within like six to twenty one, whatever our age restriction is.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

And so, like, we will see exit a lot of exhibitors from out of state that come to compete at these events just with the high level of animals that we have for exhibition. So if you like competition, definitely come to Iowa and and see what it's about.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Yeah, you don't have to be a member to show at any of our the two shows that our committee puts on. They're open jackpots, and I believe all our jackpots that are a part of our circuit, you can go compete at too. You don't have to be a sanctioning member. I think a lot of people do that the first year or two, their jackpot, and just go to a few jackpots, and then maybe once they got their feet wet, they'll uh join the circuit and chase points. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

So as far as jackpots go, where do they rank in? I don't even know if there's a hierarchy, but like between county fairs and let's say state fair, are they somewhere in between? Do they carry more weight in certain areas?

SPEAKER_02 5:16

So I'd say as far as the jackpot series go, they're kind of a step in between, right? The county fairs and probably some of those state and national levels. So I mean there's a lot of kids who go to county fair. I think what you'll typically see is a lot of kids who maybe attend one or two jackpot shows throughout the summer and then also attend county fair. I think that's probably very common for a lot of 4-H exhibitors. It gives them kind of a chance to say, hone in their skills prior to county fair or kind of, you know, hopefully take the training wheels off by county fair time, which is what I say a lot of 4-H focuses around, right? So I think that gives them an opportunity to do that. In Iowa, we are very fortunate that we have a very competitive atmosphere when it comes to jackpots and the quality of the animals. They can compete at a very, very high level and do compete at a very, very high level um throughout the year, whether that is jackpots, county fairs, state levels, national level events, etc. The quality of the HYSLC circuit is very good.

SPEAKER_01 6:13

So if I've got if I've got one animal and a kid that's just getting started, you know, do we belong here?

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Yeah, I think the Heartland show circuits for everybody, not just your top tier class, just for our breeder sponsor, sale lambs. And a lot of, you know, I think that we just started that last year. And I think once that really takes off, that'd really be an opportunity for some young and new show families to start really, you know, you can get some class experience, and some of the higher-end lambs won't quite be in that class. And the money, the reward money has been phenomenal that we've done for that. But I think the Heartland Youth miss for anybody for any level. You know, you can chase the grand champion market lamb year-end points, but there's also eight divisions that you can go after. We pick a top three in every division at every show. That's one of our sanctioned guidelines.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

So, where are you guys actually finding these jackpots? Is there a a place to be looking?

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Yeah, so the showman app is a great source to find jackpots. All of our shows that are sanctioned with us are listed on the Showman app. If you go to Show Series and find the Heartland Youth Show Lamp Circuit, all of our full schedule is on there. Um, and even some shows, they even list shows that aren't published yet, but like they're in the works. So you can see all the ones that are published, and you can follow a link if that show has a website, um, get all the details on who's judging, the time the show starts, what time check-in is. I think also I even seen the other day when I was on the showman app, they'll have hotels listed if you need to find a hotel if you're coming from out of state or several hours away. They'll list nearby hotels as well on the showman app under a show. It's a great tool. We started using it last year on our circuit, and I have nothing but good things to say about it.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

Right on. I've heard from I don't know where, but the showman app is not actually an app, but it's a web-based app. So for any any confusion there, where do you know where where do you find the showman app?

SPEAKER_00 8:22

You just go to you can just Google search showman app. I don't like another whole URL, but if you just Google or you know whatever the iPhone search is, Showman app, it pulls right up and it's easy to navigate. Like you can it has a function where you can like find a show this weekend near you or something, and where you can filter and find a jackpot. Um, and like I said, the show series is awesome. And I believe every show series in Iowa is a part of the like every species is a part of the showman app. Uh cattle, hogs, and goats and us.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Let's walk through the showman. Like I've never opened it before. What's the most basic that you start with and then work through?

SPEAKER_00 9:05

Oh, for the showman app?

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Um like what do I need to do to register for your event?

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Um, so our event, like I said, go to search the showman app, um, find uh find our show series. Um that you go to there's a there's a tab that says show series, and then you find the Heartland Youth. I believe you there's a search tab as well. You can search Heartland Youth Show Lamb Circuit, and then it'll give you a full, once you pull up our show series, it'll give you a full schedule of events. Um, and all our shows that are uh sanctioning with us. And like I said, some are published already and some aren't published. So the published ones you won't be able to register for yet. But then our kickoff event uh is the Sunday before Labor Day. It will, and I don't believe registration is live yet. I could be wrong. That would be a Rachel question. Once registration's live, you can click on that, you will be able to click on that event and it will ask you to register online. And it's a very simple process. Another thing I like about the Showman app, like say you come to our show on Memorial Weekend, the kickoff, um, and spring faturity show, our doubleheader, and you enter in, you know, say you have a ULAM, and that ULAM's name is Deborah, and you'll enter in Deborah's tag number and it'll ask for an animal name and all that, and whether she's a blackface or whiteface or natural or hamp, you enter in all that data, and the showman app will save that. So when you go to the next show the next weekend, you like you'll pull up, you'll register with your name or your you can do a family. We do a family option, you can register a family or individual kids, and it will pull up your kids' name and that you, Deborah, with all her information, and you would just register her for that show. That next weekend you went, and you know, maybe enter the weight, you know. She might have a new weight to enter, that will change, but um, it's very user-friendly.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

And deadlines, late entries, anything like that that you can tell me about?

SPEAKER_00 11:10

Yeah, we won't turn anybody away our show, um and the price doesn't change the day of the show. We just ask for simplicity, you know, register online before you come that weekend because it makes the check-in process takes one minute, two minutes. If it's a large family, it might take five minutes to check in all the lambs. But the way we do it is you just come to the table, you declare your weight, and most shows I think now have gotten a declared weight. Some still will weigh at the check-in process. You know, you just got to read the rules listed under each show. But we just declare weight at our events that our committee hosts the two weekends we host. But anyway, you come to the check-in table, I verify that you know, sheep sheep A is a blackface commercial U, Sheep B is a Hampshire market weather, and I verify their weight. And then the showman app will tell me if you paid online or if you haven't paid yet. You can write a check. If you give me a check, I enter the check number and the amount, and that way Cody can correspond the check number with you know, on his end for the bank, and then also it. I hit paid and I hit register and you're registered. And then on the back side of that, once a family's registered, the showman app will create a show bill for us, and we go in and kind of break it apart more, but it will get a good rough draft established for us once everybody's been registered. But we will take anybody at the door, but it is a lot faster and smoother if you pre-register before you come to our uh kickoff uh Memorial Weekend.

SPEAKER_01 12:47

Uh do you need any kind of registration papers, health papers, or anything like that, or you just show up with a lamb?

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Yeah, health papers are required. That is, you know, uh state law. I think anytime animals are in transport to a show or a sale, um, or especially crossing state lines. I'm not a vet, but I highly recommend if you're going to any show with any species, it better be safe than sorry and grab health papers.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Okay. Yeah. I I don't know any of this. We've never done any of it. So I did ask, like at the county level about it, and they said they do all their, what do you call it, inspection or whatever on the fair grounds when you do weigh-in.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

So I was like, Yeah, uh same with our county. Um, and also a kind of unique thing. Our county fair here in Warren County is close enough to state fair that if you get them inspected at county fair, they will or the local vet's office will write you health papers for state fair, they don't have to look at them again. But like I said, what's consult your veterinarian, you know? I'm not I'm not a licensed vet, but what's your time frame on health papers?

SPEAKER_01 13:50

Like you have have to have them inspected on the state and it's good for 30 days.

SPEAKER_00 13:54

Legally, they're good for 30 days, like you have to have them 30 days prior to the event. And the one key thing with health papers, too, most of the time is say you're coming to our show on Sunday before Memorial Day. I think that's the 24th. Um, there's a sh double header in Colfax the day before. You will probably need separate health papers. Like I said, call your vet and see what they think. But most of the time, you need health papers addressed to the individual uh show, like you need the address of where they're going and what the event's called, and um a contact information for that and stuff like that. You need uh individual health papers for different shows.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Interesting. Now we're learning. Okay, all right. It's show day, and I pull up with a lamb. Now what do I do? I just pulled into the lot. Where do I park? Is there rules of unloading, check-in, weigh in? I mean, let's break it down for like a 10-year-old level.

SPEAKER_02 14:51

Okay, yeah, so show day wheeling into a jackpot. I think if anybody has ever done this before, I think they can totally get with normally mom or dad's driving, probably. You pull in and everybody's freaking out. I don't know where to go, I don't know what to do. Um, and that's that's normal. Uh it doesn't matter if it's at the end of your show, you know, career or the beginning, it's kind of all the same. You're pulling into a new place that you've never been and uh doing something you've never done before. So there's always a little bit of everybody's on edge, right? When you when you come in. But uh you roll into a you know any given location, right? And a lot of times, like through our our Heartland Youth website, you know, you can see what time check-ins are, uh, what time the shows are, show locations, etc. And so a lot of it's kind of feel as you go. So, you know, you you're gonna get to the location and you're gonna find a spot to to park. There, a lot of them do not offer pinning inside of a building, so a lot of times you're stalling out of your trailer. So that's a key thing to to keep in mind. So if it's hot in the summer, etc., your trailer gets really hot, you know, fans and those kinds of things are probably needed as well for animal care. But typically you're gonna pull in, find a spot to park, or maybe hop the lambs off, go walk them around. A lot of people bring will bring like pop-up tents to make things just a little easier and uh keep the animals in the shade for just animal comfort and human comfort in the summer. And so then you'll proceed, go to a check-in. If that show uses the showman app, uh that seems to go really, really smooth. If not, uh you'll just probably have to fill out some paperwork, just some animal identification, breed cap classifications, etc. And then a lot of people will then go to the wash rack, maybe wash their sheep and get them ready from that standpoint, throw them back on the trailer for a little bit, and then as it gets closer time to show, then that's when they're probably doing a little more prep work on the stand and those kinds of things. And then as as the show comes up, they'll uh I don't know if the showman app has like reminders or anything, but some shows will have reminders that you can sign up for that tell you like what class is going on, and kind and then you can kind of get a gauge of what the time is like. And so you don't want to miss your class, you go through all the effort and time, you don't don't want to miss your time on the in the you know, time to shine type of a deal. So, but yeah, you'll have your class breaks and then figure out you know when that when is your time to show, get your lamb ready, take them to the show ring. You'll wait in the makeup ring, typically a class or two before it's time for your exhibition, and then you will go through the ring like a typical show process. The judge will come around, handle your animals, look at their profile, and then place the class. He will go through, then talk and give an explanation on his placings in the class, and then that'll conclude the class and the animals all the be dismissed. So that's kind of that's the general gist of it. And every show's ran a little different, but that's kind of how they all kind of function.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

What should I absolutely have with me for the for the first day?

SPEAKER_02 17:48

Ooh, I think this might be different for everybody, but one thing I would say that a lot of people are actually not prepared for when they go to jackpot. I don't think people are fully aware of how exhausted a kid gets in the summer in the heat. So actually bringing lots of drinks and ice, water, those kinds of things that keep a kid well hydrated. I think that's a very common thing that I think people will forget. That's on the human side of things, but I can say if you know if the kid's grouchy, everybody's grouchy and everybody wants to go home. So uh on the human side of things, that's what I would say. On the sheep side of things, I would make sure to bring some sort of a fan to make sure we keep those animals cool as well. If everybody's hot and grouch in the summer, nothing seems to go smooth.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

Yeah, and are we running fans off of generators? Correct.

SPEAKER_02 18:37

Yep. So a lot of the facilities, you might be able to find a spot where you got power in a building that you can run an extension cord, but that's that's if you're lucky. But I always tell people come prepared, bring a generator so that way you have electricity to run all your appliances or tools.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

Okay, it's usually uh wash rack on board, and then blowers and all that stuff needs to be run off of generators. Correct.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Yep. So yep, so a lot of wash racks will be at the facilities. Uh, in terms of clippers, blowers, fans, plan on running that off your personal generators.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

Okay, right on. Yeah, like I say, this is all new to me. We've never done it, so it's gonna be an experience.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Yeah, I think uh Cody I think Cody nailed that on the head. Everybody, you know, you load the trailer the night before, and the lambs are all clipped and cheered and ready to go and drenched, and then you forget to pack a cooler, you forget to pack snacks for the kids, and you know, it gets kind of hectic. You do every you do all this prep for the animals, and then you know, you know, you could bring, I would also recommend on top of that, bring some food, bring some water, maybe bring an extra pair of clothes for kids, you know, jeans and stuff. Um, you get in the wash rack and they get wet or you know, just dirty in general, and then also pop-up tent is a must, generator and fans, obviously, for those hot days. But I think Cody nailed that on the head. Everybody kind of you kind of forget about the human side of things, what you guys need to get through the day. So I thought that was a good point.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

What's something that you guys see that like instantly just tells you, yeah, they're new?

SPEAKER_00 20:09

I mean, obviously, people that ask questions, you know, and that they haven't been there before, and there's nothing wrong with that. I don't wanna I don't want to sit here and make fun of, you know, some Freddies if they show up to a jackpot because I think it's great. They're just getting out and having fun and getting experience. So just yeah, kind of new, you know, the people that aren't prepared, you know, obviously they're new, you know. I could just yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

People that come to check in, you can tell, you know, they're probably super nice people, but they maybe don't know where to go or what the procedure is. They'll come up and ask you and say, you know, hey, we're new. A lot of times they're like, we don't know what we're doing, so help us out. So typically a lot of people are very clear about that. And if you grab anybody that's running the shows, or if you're at a show where there is a Heartland Youth Show Lamb Circuit board member there, or that you know of, I mean, they're glad to help if you grab anybody. You'll also find, you know, as you go through the years of the circuit, or that you know, every weekend you go out, it does turn into kind of a family-friendly atmosphere. So at that point, you know, you're start weekend after weekend, you will start to know people and you'll see that. New families, you know, they don't know as many people, so you can kind of see them by themselves and things. But as time goes on, you do start to see families and and kids get to know each other, and then they kind of turn into groupies. It's actually really cool to see from a young age all the way to when they age out the the friendships and connections they make.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Perfect. Is there any of these shows that are multiple rings? And if so, like how does that work?

SPEAKER_02 21:39

Yeah, so multiple rents, like the Heartland Youth Show Lamb Circuit, we'll put on a spring event that is what they call a double header. That's two shows in the same day. Uh, we'll also do another one in the fall as well. You'll see multiple events on our website that will show double headers. So, yeah, a double header would consist of two shows. Depends on the Event and who's in charge. So they can run each event however they see fit. Typically, for the Heartland youth shows in the spring and the fall, we like to run one ring first, and then we get that ring concluded, and then we will start the second ring. That seems to be the most efficient. We don't have kids running back and forth. You know, one one kid's got an animal in this class and another class. We want to give the kids their time in the ring and time to exhibit their animal properly and not be rushed. So we do one ring first and then we'll follow with a second ring. Some shows might have them back to back where they run one ring and then they have a second ring going that starts in theory 30 minutes behind the first show per se. So there's different different ways you can go about it. Just depends on who's in charge. We choose to run it kind of like a ring one and then it concludes and then go to a ring two.

SPEAKER_01 22:50

Gotcha. I always just thought it was probably at the same time, and like you said, it was super chaotic.

SPEAKER_02 22:55

It is very chaotic when you go to those events for sure.

SPEAKER_01 22:58

Let's talk just a little bit. I think you maybe brought it up, but how do I not miss my class?

SPEAKER_02 23:02

So, how do you not miss your class? If you're lucky and you got mom or dad, or maybe grandma and grandpa, the old-fashioned way was is somebody sat at the ring and made sure they they would be sitting there watching the show and they'd be texting the person at the trailer back and forth saying, you know, class so-and-so's in, or you know, this is coming up. So I will say the old-fashioned way, if you have the the manpower to do it, is still probably the most reliable way. There are different things within each event that people can use to do show ring alerts and things like that. Just depends on the event. But I would I tell people go up, watch the show, try to get a gauge on maybe how long a class is taking, and then kind of do a little math and backfigure into when you think you might show. And uh, and that seems to help a lot.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

Uh so you would not recommend really just hauling off with just one person, like say I wanted to take my daughter, especially for the first one, that might be a lot.

SPEAKER_02 23:59

You can uh if if it's just you and a kid going, you can definitely make do, just be prepared for what's ahead. I would uh highly recommend if that is the case, don't bring six sheep and try to get all that done by yourself. Back when I was showing, it'd be me and my dad, and sometimes we'd hit the road, and we would uh if we had a string of four or five or six of them going in one day, I mean it was all everybody could do to keep their cool and make it through the day. But the days you took one or two or three, and you were able to get them broke into different classes and different time periods, those are days you probably had the most fun and it was least less stressful. So yeah, I mean, if you have the manpower, great. If you don't, I just make sure you leave a couple sheep at home and make sure it's fun for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

That kind of leads me right into the next question is uh, you know, for a beginner, especially, do we show up with two or three sheep? Or you know, the first one, maybe let's just do one.

SPEAKER_02 24:51

Yeah, yep. So if you're a beginner starting out, uh just kind of depends on what your taste is and what you're wanting to do, kind of what you know what goals you have set for the year, right? I try to tell a lot of beginning sheep families two to three sheep is good. That way you can have a couple different options, maybe market or breeding. It it is handy if you do have a market or breeding. Then that way you can for sure at least get two lambs split up if there's not a lot of lambs at that event, um, just due to weight breaks and things like that. So if you at least have a market and a breeding, I think that's a surefire way to make sure the kid gets to exhibit both lambs and and we don't miss out on an opportunity there. Three's a good number, so I've always kind of went with the theory of if I take one sheep to the ring, sheep always need buddies without kind of going crazy, right? So if we could have one that would like one we could leave in the trailer with another one, so we'd have a pair of them in the trailer and then one goes to the ring. Uh, I always thought that was a very good duo that way. Because you get the one to the ring and it's got other sheep up there that it can make friends with and things, and then the two can hang out back in the trailer and hopefully not be going crazy.

SPEAKER_01 25:58

Can you walk me through a day from start to finish at a jackpot, like as an exhibitor? You know, you did this lots of times. Just how does that go? You roll in.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

I gotcha. So, yeah, kind of just the full day as uh as a jackpot exhibitor. Like I said, you're gonna, you know, mom, dad, whoever's taking you. Um, you know, you're gonna load up the trailer and go hit the jackpots, and you're you're gonna drive to your location you don't know, and you know, get set up, do things in a calm manner, um, you know, go to check-in, get your animals prepped, go through that show process. Once you go through one, um, it gets a lot easier. They are very similar in how they're laid out, but the first couple times might be a little nerve-wracking, and it'll especially be nerve-wracking for the kids. So I always tell people, you know, between parents and kids, if everybody can keep their cool, that's that's the whole goal of the day. So we can't forget what we're actually there for. But but yeah, that's a lot of them are very similar, and think of it like repetition, right? Once you your first one might be frustrating, but your second one will be a lot better than your first one, and your third one will be even better yet. So I just say just get started and keep hitting the circuit, and before the end of the summer, you'll feel like you got her figured out.

SPEAKER_01 27:05

Is there anything that beginners overdo when it comes to prep?

SPEAKER_02 27:08

So I'd say, you know, in terms of beginners trying to understand prep and what we should do and what we shouldn't do, I think one great thing is in the Midwest. I feel like there's lots of breeders that are willing to help out. I find a reputable breeder that will help you with that process. Maybe not every time, but it will at least help get you started with that process and guide you in the right direction. There's also a lot of lamb camps and different things and learning activities throughout the spring and summer as well. So I I do challenge the youth to take the time, go watch a fitting clinic that maybe Weaver's putting on or Sullivan's is putting on. You know, go to go to some of those lamb camps that are in the area that, you know, maybe come once a year. I really challenge kids to go do that because and I would challenge them at a young age to do that, because a lot of kids don't want to do that right off the get-go, and they wait more towards when they maybe feel that they can do it or they are experienced. Just think about it in terms of the faster I learn, the faster I can apply those skills. So don't mess, you know, don't miss out on wasted time because we didn't want to learn. Go try to learn the craft, meet the right people to help you get there, and then that will expedite your show process and probably your competitive level a lot faster.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

Let's let's talk a little bit about showmanship versus the market classes or breeding classes. If I've got a kid just starting, what should we focus on first?

SPEAKER_02 28:32

Yeah, so I always tell people showmanship is still down to the individual and the kid, right? I always have kind of held showmanship in very high regards. My family has always done that between me and my siblings. That's always something we we focused on very highly. And I still think it's one aspect of 4-H that you know, a lot of people talk about, you know, I can't spend as much money as the next family, or I'm not as much as, you know, I don't I'm not doing as much as the other families are or things. So that is one thing that we can control the outcome of. And so I still tell everybody spend a lot of time on showmanship, spend a lot of time practicing at home, because at the end of the day, that's still something uh that's an individual thing rather than probably a little bit more of a uh a judged-based thing. So yeah, so I would say focus on that, spend a lot of time on showmanship. Showmanship will make a bad animal look better, and bad showmanship will make a good animal look bad.

SPEAKER_01 29:39

What's the biggest difference between the showmanship classes and market classes?

SPEAKER_02 29:42

Difference between showmanship, showmanship's gonna be more on the kids' ability to show and how effortless they make that look. The market classes are gonna be based on how the animal appears from a phenotype and and handling standpoint. A lot of the market classes will be hand their gauging firmness and fat thickness, things like that. And then they'll also look at them from a phenotype standpoint as well when they back off of them, what they call a side view. So think of the market and breeding classes will be animal-based, showmanship would be judged upon the kid.

SPEAKER_01 30:12

What are judges really looking for that beginners miss?

SPEAKER_02 30:16

I think being calm, cool, and collected is a thing that whether you're a beginner or a senior in the process, that is one thing that a lot of people miss. And they they try to get into showmanship and they do everything, right? They're they're worried about doing everything right, that they just end up being all over the place. I always tell people don't worry about being perfect, just get in there, do what you know to do, and then just be calm, cool, and collected with that process. Feel like you've been there before, look like you've been there before, and don't be nervous. And as time goes on, I tell people, go look at older kids. The older kid, the senior showmanship division is a great thing to go watch. You'll learn, you know, every kid has its own style and what they like and prefer and how they maybe do things. And if you go watch those older kids that have more experience, you might pick up and say, Oh, I really like how so-and-so does this, but I really like how you know this person does this over here. Might be able to pick up on some tips and tricks to then implement yourself and create your own style to make it ease. So I would spend a lot of time watching showmanship as well as preparing for showmanship.

SPEAKER_01 31:22

Practice, practice, practice. Uh how many jackpots should a family realistically try to hit? Is there like do them all, do something?

SPEAKER_02 31:32

Yeah, right, right. I would uh I tell everybody go to as many of them as you can, support the organization. There's a lot of people uh putting these events on and spend a lot of time, you know, and a lot of money trying to create prizes and events that everybody wants to attend. So, you know, hit as many as you can. The more you hit, the more friends you make, it becomes that family, uh family-friendly atmosphere. But I would say from the Heartland Youth Show Lamb circuit standpoint, when it comes to points, we're gonna be gauging off six shows, is what we'll be gauging off of. So there'll be um, and that can come in any shape or form. So whether that's six single shows, whether that's three double headers, etc., that's that's what we shoot for at minimum to probably be the most effective for points. You're gonna want to be hitting six shows throughout the summer. And Darren can maybe explain just a little bit on the six shows, you know, what that he might be able to give us a good idea.

SPEAKER_00 32:23

Yeah, so even this year, there'll be six shows plus the fall fature. You need to um there'll be a total of your six best shows. So you can go to ten shows. I think I looked at it the other day, as of right now, we have 15 shows sanctioned this year with the show circuit, and we will take your six best ones. So you need to go to at least six, and then fall faturity, which will be our second show in September, will be an additional seventh, and that shows also double points. So, kind of what I've been telling everybody you want to, at a bare minimum, hit at least five shows before finale if you're chasing points, because then our fall finale ring A will count as the sixth show, and then you will get double points on the set, and then the addition, the fall faturity show will be double points. Um, and that will be the seventh show technically. But I encourage you to go to more because we will take your best six. So if you have a bad weekend and you go to another one and do really well, that bad week in that bad weekend won't count if you go to at least six more.

SPEAKER_01 33:25

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_02 33:26

I will add on that, on the showmanship we just got done talking about. Every weekend you go out, uh, depends on the show when they put showmanship in there. One thing I highly encourage everybody to do is do showmanship at the jackpots. Even if they're at the end, normally the kids are tired and I don't want to do it, I don't want to do it. But that's typically the time when everybody can the pressure's off and you can take time to get better. So I highly encourage when you are hitting those jackpots, be sure to join in on those showmanship opportunities.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

Yeah, I I personally think on showmanship, not enough people do it, especially the older kids anymore, which I understand. If they bring a whole string of lambs, it's one more class they have to go to, or you know, they might have won a lot of showmanship competitions in the end, but I think it's sometimes as families get more experience, it also becomes kind of like a lost art. And you see the little kids doing a lot of showmanship, our pee-wee showmanship and our junior showmanship divisions, the ring's always full, and then it kind of tapers off as kids get older. And I think that's such a mistake. I don't personally, I don't think enough people do it. Um, and then even and that's at county fair and state fair level as well. I I think Cody's really high on showmanship, and I am too. I think it's neat because it it kind of just comes down to the individual kids' skill, and it's really cool to see those kids that are really honed in on showmanship.

SPEAKER_01 34:50

So we've we've made it to we drove drove in the lot and we washed our lambs and we got checked in and we showed, and then we came back and did showmanship. You're loading up and you're heading home. What is one thing, or could be a couple things that people should do when they get home with their lambs?

SPEAKER_00 35:09

Uh disinfect would be a big one. Um, and a lot of times I recommend doing that before you even leave the show. Um, a lot of times you'll re-rinse or wash your lambs with you know a medicated shampoo of your choice. There's a lot of different ones out there, and then also some sort of disinfect or antifungal treatment spray. Again, there's several of them out there to purchase, you know, a tractor supply or on Amazon or at a on one of these online companies selling show supplies. Um, I know some people even use, you know, they'll have barn blankets that don't, you know, you put blankets on your sheep at home, they'll have barn blankets that don't go to shows. So when they wash them and clip them at home, you know, the day before, they will put a new clean tube and blanket on them and leave the barn blanket at home. And then when they get back from that show, they take off the take off the show blanket, probably go straight to the washer and dryer, and then they put on the barn blanket. So that barn blanket doesn't actually leave the farm or you know, and doesn't get exposed to any, you know, uh skin diseases or anything like that. But I think that's huge, you know. And I think it's also good if you got any oils or sprays on your lambs or in their legs, it's always good to rinse that out. I would recommend doing it before you even leave the show that day, go back to the wash rack and get all that done. Um, and then when you get home, you can just tuck those animals back in the barn, do your nightly routine feed-wise, and then but just I would recommend doing it before you even leave the fairgrounds or show show facility.

SPEAKER_01 36:41

So, along those same lines, is there any reason to not put your lambs back in the trailer before you even leave, before you washed? Would you tie them up outside or anything?

SPEAKER_00 36:51

Just put them back on the trailer and maybe just clean the trailer out and disinfect before you go to another show. Um I mean, obviously, throughout the day when you're showing, you're not gonna leave them tied up to the side of the trailer all day. You're gonna be, especially at a double header, they're gonna go on and off the trailer, you know, maybe two or three times. So I would uh I wouldn't be worried about that, but then I would maybe clean and disinfect the trailer. But you could redo that's a good point. You could re-disinfect them when you get home as well. Because if you're putting them back on and off the trailer, so I can yeah, kind of a cross-contamination there. But I know a lot of families that I kind of help show and sell lambs to, a lot of them do it before they even leave. Because you already got your stands out, you already got your blowers out, you know, why not just get them washed and disinfected before you even put them up.

SPEAKER_01 37:39

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 37:39

Cody, anything to add to that? No, I think Darren is spot on. I think if you know, at the end of the day, everybody's hot and tired, but it is crucial to go ahead and get those lambs washed and disinfected at the show before you go home. Because once everybody gets the trailer packed up and you get home and everybody's fell asleep and somebody's driving home and you get home to unload the all the sheep and attack that night, and it's eight o'clock or nine o'clock at night, uh, you tell yourself you're gonna do it, and then it turns into the next day you'll do it, and then the next day something comes up because you were gone the day before, and and then now it's three days later, and all of a sudden you go to shear again for the next jackpot show, and oh, I got fungus. So, I mean, prevention is the whole name of the game when it comes to fungus. So just keep that in mind.

SPEAKER_01 38:22

What's the biggest mistake you guys see new families make?

SPEAKER_02 38:25

I would say one of the things I see young and beginning families uh probably mistake along the way. I think some families will spend a lot of money and try to climb really fast that way, um, which I think I mean is great from a breeder standpoint, and we all appreciate that for sure. Uh, but we also want to make sure that those people have a positive experience. And sometimes those are the people who get the most frustrated because we have spent all this money, but maybe we haven't spent the time to hone in our talents. So I would recommend highly that all young beginning people either find breeders that are very comfortable to help you and will assist you on your journey. And then once again, I can't recommend enough trying to find a few lamb clinics to help hone your skill. I think it's uh crucial that you hone your skill before you really spend a ton of money in the industry, just so then that way when you are deciding that it's time to spend that extra money on an animal, that you're gonna get the most out of it when that time comes. So I spend a lot of time on on personal uh progress, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 39:27

Yeah, I agree. I don't think enough families go to clinics when they're starting out. I also think experienced families don't like re-fine-tune those skills every year. Um when they're, you know, this lamb the lamb uh you know projects not year-round, kind of like cattle. And I well, it's starting to become that way. You get different strings, fall bornes, late borns, you know, and then they're Januaries and December's. But um, I think I don't think enough families fine-tune those skills even down the road as they go. I think they kind of do it early, you know, and the ones that do do it early on, and they don't go back to they never go back to a lamb camp. And I always tell families, I'm like, just go to a lamb camp. You know, this thing's constantly evolving in terms of prep. And like I think show, I mean, even in the last five years, showmanship styles have changed, fitting strategies have changed. Even I don't think that applies just to new people as well. Everybody should be constantly trying to relearn and develop their their skill set.

SPEAKER_02 40:26

And ask questions. We've all been there trying to start something new, and we don't want to ask questions because maybe we don't know that person, but I can remember probably some of the most impactful things I ever learned was when I would ask breeders or exhibitors that I looked up to and saw they were doing a really good job and said, Hey, I don't understand why you're doing that. Can you explain that to me? And you think that everybody's gonna bite you when you ask those questions, but you'll figure out that 99% of people are willing to share why they're doing what they're doing. And so if you just take half of what you get told and try to apply it or go learn that for yourself, it'll make a big difference along the way. Those are some of the best lessons that I've learned is just when I ask questions to the people that I look up to.

SPEAKER_01 41:09

Yeah, it's amazed me how you know I from the outside in, I just assumed that there was like super secrets for everyone. And as I've gotten into like talking to people and talking to people, it's like they're all pretty open and share just about anything.

SPEAKER_00 41:25

And really the only secret the secret secret's just hard work, too.

SPEAKER_02 41:30

If you ask the right people, they're willing to share for sure.

SPEAKER_01 41:33

Yeah. Do either one of you guys have anything else that you want to add to this that maybe we haven't covered?

SPEAKER_02 41:38

The only thing I'd want to mention, just maybe here at the end, just throw something on. Uh like said at the beginning, the Heartland Youth Show Lamb Circuit's a nonprofit that kind of works in collective efforts to create a jackpot series and a point circuit that can really benefit kids and give them something to work through for the summer. And none of that would be possible without breeder sponsorship, corporate sponsorship, um, and any of the donations we receive throughout the year. Like I said, this is a nonprofit, so we appreciate all the extra donations and sponsorship money we can get, and we try to put it all back to the kids to make sure we have great awards and prizes and can deliver an excellent experience for the families throughout the summer.

SPEAKER_00 42:19

I agree.

SPEAKER_01 42:19

Bingo. Alright, well, guys, this is exactly the kind of episode I was looking for before going to our first jackpot. It makes the whole thing feel a lot more doable when you understand the flow and what to expect walking in. Huge thank you to Darren and Cody for breaking this down in a way that actually helps families like ours get started the right way. If you got value out of this, share it with another show family that's trying to figure this out too. Because there's a lot of people sitting on the sidelines just because they don't know where to start. And hopefully, we'll see where to jackpot soon. We'll catch you on the next one.