Giving 100 Percent

Her heart pounds in her chest. She looks back and forth from her goat to the judge, ensuring it looks its very best. She pulls his neck a little taller, and the staring game is back on. She quickly glances to her family ringside, then immediately back to the judge. He begins to walk in her direction, and her heart beats faster. He comes closer and closer until he extends his hand for the handshake. She meets his hand and realizes she did it. She just won the Oklahoma Youth Expo market goat show.

For Carnegie FFA member and eight-year goat showman Addyson Schneberger, this dream became reality at both the 2019 and 2021 Oklahoma Youth Expo. While Schneberger’s success is great, it did not come without hours, days and months of hard work and dedication to her projects. It begins each year on her family’s doe operation in Carnegie, Oklahoma. “I started showing goats because my dad had a small herd,” Schneberger said. “As my brothers and I got older, we started helping out then began showing the does we currently show, and it has grown from there.”

A freshman at Carnegie High School, Schneberger starts and ends each day in the barn. From feeding to working legs, practicing showmanship, and everything in between, Schneberger said she loves what she does and does her best to always give her 100 percent.

“It takes a lot of hard work to get to a show, and my family and I do it all together as a team” Schneberger said. “Any success I have includes them, and I am very grateful for them and their support.”

When Schneberger is not in the barn, one could find her practicing her FFA speeches or out on the softball field with her teammates. Very involved in extracurricular activities, Schneberger said she enjoys all she is involved in, but nothing quite measures up to showing livestock and being in the barn.

“Showing is really special to me because I have learned a lot about responsibility and how to put other things before myself,” Schneberger said. “Showing takes a lot of hard work, too, so it’s taught me to work hard and give 100 percent in whatever I do.”

Schneberger said she has this same mentality when looking to the 2022 OYE.

“There are only so many years of high school left, only so many OYE’s left,” Schneberger said. “This is why I am working hard now to make every show count.”

A believer in setting new goals and striving to reach them, Schneberger said her new goal is being competitive in the doe show and doing all she can to continue preparing for the 2022 OYE market goat show.

“OYE is a lot of fun to prepare for and work toward,” Schneberger said. “I love how it is community based – it is truly one big family.”

“There are not many other shows with all species, all chapters, and that energy can put on such an incredible show. This is what makes OYE special, and why it is hands-down my favorite show of the year,” she added.

As she continues to progress through her first year of high school, Schneberger said she often looks back at the lessons she has learned during her time as a showman.

There is value to be found in listening to the older people around you because they have been in your shoes and know what they are doing, so they have lots of good advice to give you, Schneberger said.

While this lesson was learned through years in the barn and showring, she said it is just as applicable inside of a classroom, on the field, and throughout life.

Schneberger said she looks forward to seizing all of the opportunities she can and enjoying the years to come, wherever they take her later in life.

In the short-term, Schneberger said she wants to venture to more national shows and potentially try showing a new species.

After high school, Schneberger said she hopes to attend Oklahoma State University and pursue a career in agriculture or judge livestock at a junior college. Wherever she goes, Schneberger said she wants to stay involved in the agriculture industry and with livestock far beyond her school years.

Her biggest goal is to help others and give back to her family, Schneberger said.

“Everything in my life is a result of a group effort,” she said. “It takes everybody, and it takes us working hard together. That is something I will always be thankful for.” – Written by Emile Mittelstaedt