The third time really is the charm for Michelle Albrecht. The member of Waterloo senior 4-H dairy club was named the top intermediate showperson at the 2011 Gencor Challenge West on July 7-8 at the Stratford Rotary Complex in her third year of competition at the event. Albrecht, who just turned 17 on Sunday, said it was one of the best early birthday presents she could have asked for.
“Oh, it was very exciting. When I won I didn’t really know what had happened and tears came to my eyes,” she said, “but it’s really hitting me now after I’ve had a chance to think about it.”
In showmanship classes the judges are mainly interested in how the showperson responds in the ring and how they best show off their animal to the judge. Elements such as feet and head placement for the calf – as well as body language and ring awareness by the showperson – are all taken into effect when deciding a winner.
For John Drummond, senior dairy 4-H leader for Waterloo Region, the judges couldn’t have chosen a more deserving pair than Albrecht and her one-year-old Holstein heifer named Bertha.
“She’s a wonderful girl, a wonderful showperson and had a great showing,” he said of Albrecht, adding that she is always “calm, cool and collected” when it’s time to step in the show ring.
Nearly 200 other 4-H members from across the region competed in the two-day show, which also encompassed conformation and educational aspects, and Albrecht said she enjoys the feeling of larger competitions such as the Gencor Challenge.
“It’s probably one of my favourite shows, it’s kind of like the Royal to me,” she said, referring to the world-famous Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
“It pushes me to work with my calf more and to strive to be a little bit better.”
For the Albrecht family, whose farm is just outside of Wellesley, showing seems to run in the family.
Michelle’s older sister, Melissa, took home the grand champion showperson title back in 2009.
“I love shows and just the people there. It’s a great experience and you get to meet new people and it’s a lot of fun.”
