XENIA — Standing there with her fellow 4-H participants, Danielle Norman watched as judge David Carter slowly made his way to the overall goat showmanship champion.
He appeared to be heading to one of two competitors and Norman was one of them.
“I was hoping he was coming to me,” she said. “I never know.”
Apparently zeroing in on another showman, Carter make an ever so subtle turn to his right, and reached his hand out to Norman, indicating she had indeed won the title. Her first overall showmanship title in her last year of 4-H eligibility.
“He does like to make it dramatic,” Norman said. “He’s a very good judge. Very grateful. I was so happy that I got that chance to win. I worked very hard for it.”
After winning the senior class for 17-18 year olds, the judge said Norman deserved to be in the first spot. She showed her worthiness again, winning the overall senior class title with a field packed full of talent. Despite the high marks from the judge, Norman, a member of Creative Christian Clovers, wasn’t so sure how she would fare.
“Our class was a really tough class, especially with Carrie Dant,” Norman said. “There just so many good showmen here. You want to win. You don’t really expect to win.”
During her class judging, Carter asked Norman to switch positions and move her goat to the No. 2 spot. The trick was to see how Norman handled it.
“The whole line is supposed to shift,” Norman said.
It didn’t.
But Norman didn’t falter.
“It was a really tight space to get my goat into,” she said. “I just got him behind the goats in second position.”
Carter said that’s exactly what he expected Norman to do, given the situation.
In general, all the goats in the 17-18 class were doing their best to not cooperate.
“It’s difficult and it can get frustrating,” Norman said. “You have to stay calm.
Calm is exactly what Alaina Morgan was, despite competing in the intermediate class for 12-13 year olds when she should have been in the 10-11 age class. After winning last year, she was bumped up an age group.
“It kind of felt the same,” she said, adding that she was not nervous. “All summer I’ve been practicing and working hard to try and do the same I did last year.”
She was the overall champion of the intermediate class as well.
In her second year showing goats, the member of Country Rebels also has a reserve championship in the goat show on her resume.
Alaina Miller was one of the smallest competitors in the showmanship, but that didn’t keep her from winning big. The member of the Cedarville Hot Shots won the junior class for 8-9 year olds and and the overall junior showmanship title.
It’s her third year showing goats and she has won her class before. She has the routine down quite well.
“The toughest part is when you turn around and you go in a circle and go back,” Miller said.
Goat Showmanship results (top 3 from each class advanced to overall class championship)
Senior – 17-18: 1. Danielle Norman; 2. Carrie Dant; 3. Colleen Curtis.
Senior – 15: 1. Sam Weidel; 2. Levi Bradds; 3. William Weidel.
Champion class showman: Norman.
Intermediate – 14: 1. Grace Strickland; 2. Jadyn Myers; 3. Abby Paris.
Intermediate – 12-13: 1. Alaina Morgan; 2. Eva Moore; 3. Alice Hook.
Champion class showman: Morgan.
Junior – 11-10: 1. Caroline Sturgeon; 2. Blake Midlam; 3. Gracie Heider.
Junior – 10-9: 1. Alaina Miller; 2. Becca Conover; 3. Breanna Coates.
Champion class champion: Miller
