5 minute read
Is CCYA Worth It?
I got involved in the Junior program through my family’s Charolais interest. When I was twelve, the family attended the Saskatchewan Charolais Association Picnic and Junior Show at Beechy. I was introduced to other Charolais juniors from across the province and became friends with many. The next two Junior Shows and Provincial Picnics were held at Floyd Glass’s near Prince Albert and at the Deroo family farm near Unity. I attended these not because my famly wanted me to, but because I felt I had to be there and be part of the industry.
My strongest memory of the Beechy Junior Show was of the showmanship class. Dale Norheim was the judge and I was intense and keen. In his comments he called me cocky and I’ve never forgotten it. I never really understood what he meant and had to question my parents about it later, but it was good to hear. It made me think about what I was doing.
When I was in my twenties, because the junior age was 25 then, I attended an American Junior Show in 1986. Eight of us went to learn how they ran their program so we could design a program in Canada. We thought the competition was long with a lot of emphasis on classroom activities and competition. We felt the program needed to be more fun if we wanted to get kids enthused to attend.
Clint Robertson, Victor Rosso, Kevin Boon, Brent Allison, Elliot MacGregor, Kim Rintoul and Lorna MacMillan and I attended the U.S. conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. We came home with lots of plans for a Canadian organization. Victor Rosso spearheaded the group and a conference was held in Olds, Alberta in 1987. It is interesting to see how many of the group and those that attended in Olds are still involved in the cattle business.
I went to work for a Hereford outfit and it took me away from the Charolais industry for a few years. Now I have kids involved in 4-H and I wanted them involved in the CCYA. Mostly because of the type of people it attracts – grounded, solid people with good interests. It keeps them interested and involved in cattle. It gives them a reason to keep up and keep learning. I saw a definite change in their interest after their first conference. It has kept one of my daughters in 4-H longer than if she hadn’t gone to CCYA. She had fun and her interest grew through the participation with other kids. I have even seen their school friends change. Their friends have to have interests in their lives other than boys and tvs. It’s important to cultivate relationships that will broaden their interests in healthy ways. CCYA made it cool, or okay to be a farm kid interested in cattle.
The program has also instilled an interest in the genetic part of the business. Now when the Charolais Banner comes, they pick it up to see who is doing what and who is being written about. They just have more interest overall.
Attending as a parent is awesome. They do such a great job of having the older kids help the younger kids. Kids have to do it instead of parents standing over them telling them what to do. For many kids, this is their first experience working with cattle without parental help. When the seniors help the juniors, the kids have more fun and take ownership of their work. For many it is the only time they can feel like it is their accomplishment.
Parents get to sit back and watch their kids grow. They do things at CCYA they would never do at home without grumbling. It gives them so much confidence to be able to do things without their parents.
When my kids come home from a conference, they talk about the seniors that helped them the most and took the time to talk to them. I know that it will help my kids be better seniors because they understand the importance of helping others. They have first hand knowledge of what it meant to them.
The people that made this program what it is, really need a big pat on the back. It is a really great program. The emphasis is not on competition, or winning the show; it is on the fun and friendship the kids make along the way. When the kids win a judging class, they know it is because they did it. It means so much more to them.
By not having parents to rely on during the week, the kids are encouraged to step out of their shell. They have to learn to interact with people and speak for themselves.
My kids participate in 4-H and many years their steers are bought by the same people. This winter we had the buyers come out for supper one night. The kids sat and visited with them all evening. When we went to the barn, they went to the barn. The interaction never stopped. The buyers were astounded at the kids interest and ability to hang out with adults. A lot of this ability comes from their parentless interaction at CCYA. It has such a huge affect on their confidence.
It is another reason I feel strongly that CCYA Alumni should be asked to judge future conferences. We give all of these kids all of this confidence and ability to judge and they don’t get to use it for many years. They should continue to use it and grow in larger capacities. It’s a good training ground for larger shows.
Another great thing about CCYA is the borderless activity. Kids from across Canada to participate as one group, there are no competitions that put kids from one province against kids from another province. The emphasis is on fun and friendship and through this they gain a big education in life and in cattle.
