Ashton Willis added to her family legacy with another showmanship honor after winning the 2023 Shelby Royal at the 174th Annual Shelby County Fair.
Willis, a 2022 Eastern Hancock High School graduate, arrived in time from Levelland, Texas, to compete Wednesday night at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. She just finished her freshman year at South Plains College and knew there was one final opportunity to capture a showmanship title.
“My mom and both my aunts won their spring showmanship in their county and there are six of us cousins and none of us had ever won it before,” said Willis after defeating five other competitors Wednesday night. “Now I am the only one to do it, so it’s very, very sweet. I am done now, which is very sad, but I am happy to go out on that.”
The Shelby Royal determined best overall showmanship over six different species. The contestants were tasked with controlling and showing pigs, horses, goats, sheep, dairy cows and beef cows.
Macy Reed steadies a horse to present to the judge Wednesday at the 2023 Shelby Royal at the Shelby County Fairgrounds.
Willis is a veteran showman and livestock judge but was caught off guard when it came to showing one particular species.
“I just found out we were doing horses like three hours ago so I ‘YouTubed’ a video on how to do that,” said Willis. “I know I did terrible but I didn’t let go and I knew the pattern (to show the horse) and when to stop.”
Willis relied on her experience to get through the nearly two-hour competition.
“In previous years I would get so worked up about the animals I was going to get,” she said of the random draw for each species. “I was so nervous I would get a bad (animal). And when I did get a bad one it just ruined my whole night.
“Tonight, with it being my last time, I was like if I get a bad one I just have to roll with it and know with the next species I will make it better. I can’t let it affect me. So the unknown as to how these animals react is a bit scary but you just have to stay calm because they can sense your emotions. If you get frustrated, they get frustrated too.”
Willis got through the pig and horse showings then had a goat that wasn’t ready to totally cooperate.
“My goat … she was stubborn,” said Willis with a laugh. “Once I fixed her chain, she was good. I was very thankful with the animals I got.”
Krista Brown (far left), Avery Everhart (center) and Macy Reed prepare dairy cows to be judged at the 2023 Shelby Royal.
Also competing Wednesday were Morristown High School’s Avery Everhart, Franklin High School’s Abigail Bridges, Shelbyville High School’s Macy Reed, Hauser High School’s Brady Miller, and Southwestern High School graduate and Oklahoma State University student Krista Brown.
Willis started livestock judging when she was in seventh grade and earned enough money to help pay for college in the Texas panhandle, 17 hours from home. Her goal is to finish the two-year program at South Plains and complete her degree in Animal Science at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
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