Competition stirs controversy behind the scenes
By LIZ STEVENS
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
The cattle buildings were abuzz with a particularly biting brand of barn talk.
The hearsay had to do with a particular heifer. Was she really the breed her owners claimed she was? Or did she not exactly fit the requirements, making her just a little prettier than her competition?
The consensus among many families in the barn was the latter.
"It's very big," said a father who would only give his name as J. "All the other breeds are talking about this going on, because everybody knows it's not right."
Ah, the drama of the Fort Worth Stock Show's junior competitions. What we see in the arena -- gracious children participating in healthy competition -- tells us little about the everyday turbulence that contests between kids can spark.
Mostly because of their parents.
"I have been to a few shows where the parents, you might say, are a little more aggressive," said Terry, a mom from Liberty County whose 14-year-old son shows heifers. She declined to give her last name.
Some parents "will raise Cain" when their child doesn't win, Terry's other son, Robert, said. "They'll start running their mouths to the judges from the stands."
It's not just a heifer thing.
"In general, they [the parents] are very competitive," said Jim Burke, superintendent of the junior market wether goats contests.
"They think that their kid is better than everybody else when they get down there."
The recent heifer debate made its way up to the longtime superintendent of the junior heifer show, Tom Woodward. By the time of the competition, Woodward said he'd been approached by two or three people and was aware that the breed's national association had been contacted.
The association said its investigation of the controversy is "ongoing."
"There are parents who are more interested in cattle than they are the youngsters," Woodward said. But he characterized this particular tempest as "a nonissue." The outcomes of the current investigations will have no effect on the Fort Worth contest. The heifer's papers met the Stock Show's requirements, he said.
The owner of the heifer in question declined to be interviewed and attempts to reach the breeder were unsuccessful.
"There are 2,163 entrants in the junior heifer shows and there can be that many rumors," said Stefan Marchman, the Stock Show's livestock show manager. "Lots of people like to point fingers."
Competitors will complain about the location of their assigned stall or how much room they have. They'll report that opponents are overfeeding or underfeeding livestock to improve their animals' chances of winning. They'll argue about the weight their animal registers on the Stock Show's official scale, Burke said.
"You have to understand," Burke said. "This is just like any other case where there is a conflict. It's the minority [that makes a fuss]; it's the less than 1 percent."
Marchman, Woodward and Burke agreed that the positive aspects far outweigh any negatives.
But the negatives can be instructive, too, kids and parents said.
The youngsters aware of the controversy at this year's junior heifer competition took the drama in stride.
"Winning's not everything," said 18-year-old Michelle Whalen, moments after the judge crowned the disputed heifer grand champion a couple of weeks ago.
"It's nice to get a blue ribbon," added Whalen, a member of the Grapevine-Colleyville FFA, who had shown her heifer earlier in the Stock Show.
But when it doesn't go your way, she said, "you've just got to deal with it."
By LIZ STEVENS
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
The cattle buildings were abuzz with a particularly biting brand of barn talk.
The hearsay had to do with a particular heifer. Was she really the breed her owners claimed she was? Or did she not exactly fit the requirements, making her just a little prettier than her competition?
The consensus among many families in the barn was the latter.
"It's very big," said a father who would only give his name as J. "All the other breeds are talking about this going on, because everybody knows it's not right."
Ah, the drama of the Fort Worth Stock Show's junior competitions. What we see in the arena -- gracious children participating in healthy competition -- tells us little about the everyday turbulence that contests between kids can spark.
Mostly because of their parents.
"I have been to a few shows where the parents, you might say, are a little more aggressive," said Terry, a mom from Liberty County whose 14-year-old son shows heifers. She declined to give her last name.
Some parents "will raise Cain" when their child doesn't win, Terry's other son, Robert, said. "They'll start running their mouths to the judges from the stands."
It's not just a heifer thing.
"In general, they [the parents] are very competitive," said Jim Burke, superintendent of the junior market wether goats contests.
"They think that their kid is better than everybody else when they get down there."
The recent heifer debate made its way up to the longtime superintendent of the junior heifer show, Tom Woodward. By the time of the competition, Woodward said he'd been approached by two or three people and was aware that the breed's national association had been contacted.
The association said its investigation of the controversy is "ongoing."
"There are parents who are more interested in cattle than they are the youngsters," Woodward said. But he characterized this particular tempest as "a nonissue." The outcomes of the current investigations will have no effect on the Fort Worth contest. The heifer's papers met the Stock Show's requirements, he said.
The owner of the heifer in question declined to be interviewed and attempts to reach the breeder were unsuccessful.
"There are 2,163 entrants in the junior heifer shows and there can be that many rumors," said Stefan Marchman, the Stock Show's livestock show manager. "Lots of people like to point fingers."
Competitors will complain about the location of their assigned stall or how much room they have. They'll report that opponents are overfeeding or underfeeding livestock to improve their animals' chances of winning. They'll argue about the weight their animal registers on the Stock Show's official scale, Burke said.
"You have to understand," Burke said. "This is just like any other case where there is a conflict. It's the minority [that makes a fuss]; it's the less than 1 percent."
Marchman, Woodward and Burke agreed that the positive aspects far outweigh any negatives.
But the negatives can be instructive, too, kids and parents said.
The youngsters aware of the controversy at this year's junior heifer competition took the drama in stride.
"Winning's not everything," said 18-year-old Michelle Whalen, moments after the judge crowned the disputed heifer grand champion a couple of weeks ago.
"It's nice to get a blue ribbon," added Whalen, a member of the Grapevine-Colleyville FFA, who had shown her heifer earlier in the Stock Show.
But when it doesn't go your way, she said, "you've just got to deal with it."
