Kaylen Nolen, 12, Grand Champion of Showmanship in the rabbit category, with Lulu Viutton. (Photo by Kim Hilsenbeck)
by KIM HILSENBECK
For Kaylen Nolen, it’s all about the buckle.
Minutes after claiming her first win at the Hays County Livestock Expo on Thursday, the 12-year-old from Wimberley ducked into the bathroom to put on her coveted prize: a silver and gold belt buckle engraved with Intermediate Showmanship 2012 and a picture of a rabbit.
Running back from the ladies room, still tucking her plaid shirt in her jeans, Kaylen was smiling nonstop. She had won the grand champion prize in showmanship for the rabbit category.
“I’m really excited,” said Kaylen, as she took back one of her rabbits, Lulu Viutton, from her older sister Kenna Nolen.
Sixty-seven days earlier, Kaylen started raising Califorian breed rabbits. Each morning begins at 6 a.m. with measuring and feeding the animals, weighing them, and making sure they are growing strong and healthy.
But unlike those who enter the competition to show livestock, Kaylen’s entry in the show wasn’t just about the rabbits. Hays County Extension Agent Robert Parrish said the showmanship judges evaluate the person, not the animal.
“Entrants answer questions about their animal’s nutrition, health and characteristics about the species,” Parrish said.
Kaylen said her twin brother, Tanner, a fellow member of the Wimberley 4-H Club, quizzed her daily before the competition in preparation for the judge’s questions. Mom Lori Nolen said all the hard work paid off.
Parrish, who helps coordinate the Hays County Livestock Expo, was a member of 4-H in high school. While Parrish said the majority of 4-H Club and FFA members don’t pursue careers in agriculture or farming, the skills they learn stay with them for life.
“These kids learn about responsibility, discipline, science, nutrition, health, public speaking and leadership,” Parrish said. “Being involved in 4-H or FFA also exposes them to resource conservation, preserving our land and even drought management.”
Other entry categories in the Hays County Livestock Show included life skills such as cooking, crafts, and photography.
Sky Hibler, a 15-year-old member of Wimberley’s FFA, was working on her sixth consecutive showmanship buckle. She was showing goats, two pigs and her newest project, Dehlila.
“I’m nervous,” Sky said, “because tonight is my first lamb show.”
