Jamison Lamp

After all animals were trimmed and scores tallied, Caleb Englin, a junior animal science major, took home the top prize of Grand Champion Round Robin Showman at the 86th Little International March 27 to 28.

“The goal was to win reserve or come close,” Englin said. “The goal was set out and achieved.”

On top of the champion round robin showman, Englin also received the honors of fourth in swine showmanship, champion fitter in the sheep and dairy species, reserve in dairy showmanship, champion in sheep showmanship and high-point upperclassman.

Fitting events deal with the overall presence of the animal, while showmanship events focus on the showman’s ability to highlight the animal’s best features. In the round robin events, the showman has to show five different species to the best of their ability.

“The hardest about the all-around [round robin] is you have to know how to show all species,” Englin said.

The animals, including swine, sheep, dairy cattle, beef cattle and horse, have their difficulties.

“Pigs are really difficult; you only have the pipe to control them,” Englin said.

With other animals, like cattle, showmen have more control because of the halter, where the showmens’ hands primarily handle the sheep, Englin said.

“My favorite animal this year was the dairy heifer,” Englin said. “Other years my favorite has been the sheep.”

The road to round robin champion does not come easy.

“I showed livestock through high school and 4-H,” Englin said. “Growing up around animals makes me feel more comfortable with them.”

Englin’s trick to reaching the top may have been talking.

“You have to know that if you are calm, the animals will remain calm,” Englin said. “I do a lot of talking.”

After winning Grand Champion of Round Robin, Englin is no longer eligible to compete in future Little I events but still plans to be on staff.

“I haven’t given it a lot of thought about what position,” he said.

Englin previously won Reserve Champion three times in 4-H, along with some others.

While Englin turned out on top, Little I Manager Jared Sanderson was happy with the weekend’s events.

“We had an exceptional turnout,” Sanderson said. “We had 1,700 high school students register to participate in the events.”

After the week of hard work for both participants and staff, the work paid off.

“The most exciting part was handing over trophies to winners and seeing their reactions to their hard work paying off,” Sanderson said.

“I would just want to thank everyone for a job well done and for making this one of the best years of my life.”

Other Grand Champions in other species were: Amanda Eberspacher in beef cattle, Katie Helminick in horse and Nicole Stevens in dairy cattle and Tyler Kubik for swine.

For a compete list of results and further information, check out the Little I Web site at http://ars.sdstate.edu/LittleI/Little%20I%202009/index.htm.

#1.881743:4016138795.jpg:Little.I.KL.CMYK.jpg:Mirinda Bye, a senior agricultural education major, shows her dairy cow, Macey, at Little International. :#1.881742:273986739.jpg:little.i.art.jpg::#1.881741:1835963655.jpg:Little.I.2.KL.CMYK.jpg:Jared Sanderson, a senior animal science major and Little I manager, and Alissa Johnson, a junior ag. business and ag. economics major and Little I assistant manager, had a turnout of 1,700 high school students.: