Purdue News
Purdue News
April marked the 50th anniversary of the Purdue Royal, a livestock showmanship contest just for Purdue students. Using sheep, pigs, horses and cattle on loan from the Department of Animal Sciences and supporters, participants learn to train, groom and show the animal. For some former 4-H members, it's a chance to fine-tune skills. For others it's an introduction to the arcane art of animal exhibition. For all, the exercise is an applied education in animal characteristics and qualities.
The Royal is a friendly, yet intense, competition among peers, a one-day event that caps off six weeks of extracurricular effort for about 30 contestants and 15 student organizers. Livestock producers from across Indiana act as judges, grilling each exhibitor on their animal expertise and scrutinizing both learners and livestock as the students take their animal through its paces. Novice and advanced classes for each species help keep the competition even between non-farmers and former farmers.
City slicker Stephanie Coates, a sophomore in pre-veterinary studies from Richmond, showed a sheep, a pig and a dairy heifer in a effort to learn as much as she could in one marathon Royal appearance. She said effort counted for more than experience: "It doesn't matter where you come from, it's more how much your heart is in it."
She said she better understands now what 4-H exhibitors and other future veterinary clients go through getting a livestock project ready for the fair, and her experience also helped her relate to livestock producers because she gained some knowledge about their industry. Her competition results varied: She came close to winning her class in swine, but her lamb "went schizo and I lost control; I was very frustrated." Bottom-line, though, was a sense of accomplishment. "I was, like, wow, I can do this," Coates said.
The Royal also gives college students who have been involved with a particular species of livestock an opportunity to stay involved. "I enjoyed the Royal," said Casie Walukonis, an advanced beef exhibitor and freshman from Anderson. "I've always loved showing livestock, and it's just a way for me to continue that experience."
Students also learn the ins and outs of event planning, from decorations to donations. They pick the date, get the building, get animals, secure donations, order prizes and set up and tear down the event. The show is sponsored Block and Bridle, Purdue's animal science option club, and was coordinated by the club's first vice president, Brady Lofton, a junior from Danville. He worked extensively with faculty members, kept committee members on track and made sure things were running smoothly.
"The thing I've gotten out of it is learning to deal with people and time management," Lofton said. He said he could not even estimate how much time he put into planning the Royal. He said he felt that this experience could be a great help to him in his college career and later in life. He thought that employers would find his planning and time-management skill a major asset when the time came to look for a job.
Block and Bridle also has four standing species chairmen who work with the president of the Dairy Club to coordinate the livestock for the event. Charged with selecting livestock and matching animals up with contestants, the chairmen make sure the participant and the livestock are working well together. Their most important job, however, is educating novices about the animals and how to properly fit and show them.
"I think the beef novices learned it was a lot of hard work," said Mike Andrew, beef chairman and a junior from Moores Hill. In addition to showing students how to handle and train semi-domesticated calves, Andrew said, he taught the beef novices cattle selection, cattle pricing and feeding requirements, all areas of possible inquiry by the judges.
It's not all work, though. The Royal Olympics, held the night before the show, are a way for students to relax and have fun after the final preparations for the Royal are done. This year's Olympics featured a relay where participants had to crawl through a straw tunnel filled with whipped cream, make a peanut butter sandwich, eat the sandwich, drink a glass of milk, spin on a baseball bat, run back to the starting line and break a water balloon. Lofton said people were filthy, stumbling and laughing the whole time -- just another college activity that works better in a barn.
Sources: Stephanie Coates, (765) 495-6175
Brady Lofton, (765) 449-1427
Mike Andrew, (765) 583-2375
Writer: Jill Holton, (765) 494-8402
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
