Selfless Acts of Service for the Next Generation. No. Matter. What.

by Lindsey Broek, Editor

The Sweet Life was this year’s junior national theme, and how sweet it was! Grand Island is one of the best facilities we encounter in our travels throughout the year. In addition to it being one of the best facilities, Maine-Anjou had one of its BEST events, due largely in part to the continued “Selfless Acts of Service for the Next Generation” that our membership and participants make their absolute priority year after year. Each year the group of Maine-Anjou Herdsmen rally and sell raffle tickets, host a gathering complete with fun and prizes - and most importantly, recognize some of the young individuals in our organization with scholarships and add a member to their esteemed group of herdsman. The night is about recognizing hard work, talent and utilizing the groups’ own to give back to the AMAA family.

Kids always come first here and during junior nationals, you could see this every way you turned. Whether it was a state working together to utilize space to the best of their ability or just people greeting everyone with a smile (and some candy!) anywhere they went - you could tell that everyone is there for the youth of the American Junior Maine-Anjou Association (AJMAA)!

The junior national is cattle shows and contests, but a highlight each year that has been gaining steam and garnering attention is the Herdsmen Gathering. This year the Herdsmen hosted a special event that really took the gathering mainstream – Man-to-Man at the Grand, a special wrestling match featuring industry greats –Kung Fu Kent and Sugar Ray May. An event that gained so much popularity, that we streamed it for families and enthusiasts all across the country to tune in and watch!

For weeks leading up to the event all we heard was “Are you actually going to do this?” “There is no way you are doing this, right?” “Jaecke is going to lose.” “Bob has been training, like, really training.”

And have the Man-to-Man at the Grand, we did! but it wasn’t really just about the wrestling match. The time and effort that they put into their outfits and hype are a true testament to their commitment and follow through when they commit to doing something! They stopped at nothing - incredible costumes, a little smack-talking into the microphones throughout the barns, but most importantly this event was hosted to raise money for deserving AJMAA youth through the form of scholarships. After three intense rounds, Sugar Ray May was crowned Man at the Grand! Thankfully none of the contestants were injured. What a way to entertain a crowd and have a little fun while hosting a fundraiser!

Since its inception in 2012, the Herdsmen group has been clawing, scratching and absolutely succeeding in building a scholarship program that many organizations only dream about. This year’s event was epic, a wrestling match and a lot of money was raised and put right back into the programs and breed that built many of them. In one evening, with a little music, a borrowed wrestling mat and a lot of try, the group crushed their goal and took in right at $50,000! Simply incredible.

To everyone that bought tickets, donated items for the drawing, took a bucket of water to the head and supported, THANK YOU! This would not be possible without you!