After reading a good friend of mines blog the other day, I sat down and started writing this 2 part post. I am not sure if I wrote it for anyones enjoyment or if I simply wrote it to see where life has taken me over the past 10-15 years. Anyways, hope you enjoy it, it definitely got me thinking about alot of things as I typed it. It made me realize to not be afraid to chase a dream. It also made me realize how important the connections you make with people are to the success of that dream you are chasing.
Where has the last year went? Wait, where has the last 10-15 years went? It seems like just a couple of years ago, I was heading to BlackHawk East(BHE) to embark on what would definitely be 2 of the most influential years of my life. I can still remember the day my folks and I moved myself into my apartment. I remember my mom crying as she was leaving "her baby" in Illinois while she and dad headed back home to Indiana. Yeah, I got homesick for awhile, what kid doesn't when they go to college, but what transpired over the course of the next 2 years would change my life and goals forever.
The old saying goes, "it's not what you know, it's who you know", BHE was the first place that I started meeting people and networking with individuals that to this day, I do business with, call for advice, look up to, buy cattle from, etc.
Being that my family was never really competative in the show ring, I went to BlackHawk not really knowing very many people. There were a few kids from Indiana that I judged against that were going there, but there were also alot of kids coming there that I did not know, but knew who they were. I knew who they were because I had seen there pictures in various magazines for winning shows and what not. I knew who they were because their families were successful in the livestock industry, and that is what my goal always was. So yes, maybe I thought they were better than me, because at the time, they were better than me at what I wanted to be good at, but what I found out as the saying goes is "They put their pants on just like me". I never will forget sitting in Animal Science class the first day, and Dan Hoge saying, " I have been around awhile, I know alot of you, I don't know alot of you very well. Alot of you don't know each other, but we are a family here and I know this is the first time that alot of you kids have been away from home. Just so you know, Deanna and I keep a small amount of money around in case we need to come get some of you out of trouble, if you know what I mean". That right there sealed the deal for me. At that point and time, I felt that I belonged with all these other kids who I either admired or looked up to their family. All I can say is I heard there was a couple of times that Dan and his wife had to use that money
During the 2 years that I attended BHE, I was fortuanate to become close friends with alot of those folks that I thought were better than me. Today, those "kids" are industry leading professionals. They are sales reps for Ranch House Designs, division manager reps for Mix 30 liquid feed, sales managers for Showmaster feeds, sales reps for Show-rite feeds, on- farm livestock photographers and videographers. They work for the Indiana Board of Animal Health, the Ohio Cattlemans Assoc. the American Angus Assoc. and the American Shorthorn Assoc. Many of them returned to the farm or ranch and are now managing places like Goretzska Cattle Co., Ellerbrock Club Lambs, Bremer Show Cattle, Siek Farms, Chad Day Showpigs, Boss Cattle, Rodgers Cattle Co., Cutting Edge Showpig sires, just to name a few. Some are now working at four year universities such as University of Illinois and Iowa State teaching Animal Science and coaching the Livestock judging team. It is amazing to me how a tiny little school northwest of Peroria, IL in the little town of Kewanee, can turn out so many industry professionals. And to think, these are just a few of the people that were there during my tenure of 2 years, this does not count the ones I have lost track of.
I also made a decision my freshman year that I believe changed my future and my goals. I went to BHE on a partial ride judging scholorship since at that time, I was not planning to transfer to a 4 year university. Only people that were transffering were offered full ride scholorships. I enjoyed judging, but it was never truly in my heart what I wanted to do. At that point in my life, I was so ate up with show cattle, I really did not care about any thing else. As we were preparing for the National Barrow show, I called my dad one night and told him that I did not want to judge anymore, I was over the practices and endless sets of reasons. Frankly, it was getting in the way of what I wanted to do....work on show cattle and party. Dad told me that was fine, but that once my scholorship was ended, I would be responsible for 1/2 of the incured expenses. I thought about it for a few days, and decided that I was going to quit. Two weeks before the National Barrow show, I remember walking down the stairs at campus that led to Hoges office. I knocked on the door and asked if he had a minute. He said yes, I walked in and he shut the door. The words that came out of his mouth next shocked me. "You're ready to quit aren't ya"? How did he know? I said yes, we sat and talked for almost an hour. "You could be an asset to this team and I hate to lose you, but I can tell this is not what you want to do", he said. "What is it you want to do and maybe I can help you"? "I want to raise a national champion heifer, a state fair grand champion steer. I want to be able to fit cattle with the best around", I told him. "Let me see what I can do" he said.
To be continued........
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