Hours before parading through the people lined up to watch, they prepare. Brushing and blow drying follow a thorough shampoo. Being sure to shine, they practice their strut, only they are not wearing high heels, their feet end in hooves, and they parade through musky show barns.

Sophomore Claire McCormick won Reserve Grand Champion Steer at the Fort Worth Stock Show. Senior Brynn Owen, who has been involved in 4-H since she was 5 years old, won Grand Champion Lamb for the 2017 Randall County Junior Livestock Show.

“It’s a good way to end my senior year and go out with a bang,” Owen said. “I was very pleased with how I did, and I will remember it forever.”

Following behind her sister, who was first involved in the program, Owen said her sister was the main reason she was also involved in both 4-H and FFA.

“I have always been involved with 4-H and FFA, because I’ve been around sheep my whole life,” Owen said. “My older sister started showing when she was young, and so I just followed in her footsteps.”

The FFA program prepares students who plan to enter into agricultural fields for the real world by allowing students to gain experience in areas such as leadership, public speaking and responsibility.

“I will probably go into college and have a major in agriculture,” Owen said. “I’m not too sure what all that will involve but by being involved in FFA and 4-H allowed me to make connections I can use in the future whenever possibly applying for jobs.”

Both Owen and McCormick said they enjoy traveling and the experience of meeting new people.

“I enjoy getting to travel the state and meet new people and develop friendships with people from across the state I wouldn’t meet unless I showed animals,” Owen said.

Both Owen and McCormick travel to larger shows across the state and country. McCormick said on average she travels to about 50 shows a year.

“It varies year after year and depending on how many animals I have,” McCormick said. “This year so far, I’ve been to South Dakota, Arizona, Dallas and Fort Worth. Next week I’ll be in San Antonio, Houston, Austin.”

McCormick’s participation in this years Fort Worth Stock Show led her to win Reserve Grand Champion Steer, selling the animal for $100,000.

“It was probably the best experience I’ll ever have in my entire life,” McCormick said. “Fort Worth last week, I was Reserve Grand and my best friend from down south she was Grand overall, and that’s one of the biggest steer shows in the world.”

McCormick said winning Reserve Grand Champion was an indescribable experience.

“As soon as it sold for 100,000 it was, I don’t even know how to describe it,” McCormick said. “It’s the coolest feeling in the world.”

McCormick has been showing pigs for 13 years and showing steers for six. Her involvement with the FFA and 4-H programs began with her grandparents and her dad.

“My grandpa was an ag teacher and my dad has always been involved with it and has McCormick Livestock Company,” McCormick said. “That’s what kept me involved with it.”

Showing for many years, McCormick said she plans to use the money she won to benefit her college fund and her learning experiences to benefit her in areas of life as well.  

“All the money I win definitely goes to college funds,” McCormick said. “I’ve won scholarships and it helped me buy a car this year. I’d say I’d take what I learned from ag and stock shows and it’s going to help me in leadership and public speaking.”

Throughout the course of her showing life, McCormick has won many different categories, such as: World Pork Expo, the Fort Worth Pig Show, reserve at the steer show, National Western and breed champion. She said her success continues to push her, along with the encouragement of her father.

“My dad helps me a lot with it,” McCormick said. “It’s day after day and we have lots of friends that help us even if it takes so much work and it’s every morning, every night, constantly gone. The thing that encourages me most is probably the friends that surround me and getting to spend time with my family, that’s a big part of it. I’d say my biggest encouragement is definitely my dad. He always pushes me.”