XENIA —Logan Test has had success showing cattle all over the state. But the 17-year-old from Cedarville couldn’t help but flash a wide smile when the judge walked over and shook his hand Thursday, announcing Test as the top beef showman at the Greene County Fair.
It was Test’s first such “home fair” accomplishment in his short time showing cattle.
“It feels good,” he said. “You have a lot of people that know you and know you’ve only been in it a year and a half. It feels real good.”
The showman competition is more about the 4-H member and less about the cattle. The kids are judged on how they handle their heifer and their knowledge. Test had little trouble passing the, uh, test.
“He had some pretty hard questions,” Test said. “(But) I stayed confident. With that heifer, she wasn’t too bad. I showed her a lot. I feel pretty confident showing her.”
Test, who will be a senior at Cedarville High School, was also first in his class for breeding and was a reserve grand champion for steer.
Joining Test were a pair of final-drive newcomers in Taylor Linebaugh from Jamestown and Luisa Christian from Cedarville.
Linebaugh, 11, used this year’s competition as a learning experience as she soaked up the judge’s critique.
“I learned that you had to make better eye contact with the judge,” she said.
Linebaugh wasn’t expecting to be in the final drive and was pleased with her performance.
“I think I did pretty good,” she said. “I was the youngest one out there. It felt pretty good.”
She was also fourth overall in the market showman, reserve champ in her division in steer and second in class in hogs.
Christian, 12, was grand champion for home grown last year and has a pair of top finishes in her class in showman. But she was especially proud of making the final drive for the first time.
“It’s exciting,” she said. “They judge you and see how good of a showman you are.”