By: Kellie Gregorich, RHD Social Squad
There is no greater feeling than having the judge walk your way, hand extended, and just announce that you are the Overall Grand Champion. The rush of emotions flood your body and you don’t know whether to cry, jump for joy, or hug the judge.
You’ve worked hard for that banner and it shows on your face. You can’t help but show the sense of pride you have for your animal and that purple banner it just won you. Some may think that winning a purple banner gives you bragging rights or allows you to show others what great quality of livestock you have. While that may be true, that isn’t all that it means.
Winning a purple banner signifies so much to a showman.
It was finally worth it. All those early mornings of getting up to feed your livestock. All those days of working one-on-one with your livestock. Those hot summer days and cold winter nights of bathing your animals. Teaching yourself how to properly groom them and work with their hides. The tears of frustration and accomplishment. It was absolutely worth it.
It’s a sense of pride in your work. Everything your animal is, is because of your hard work and dedication that you put into it. It’s knowing that you’re the reason your animal won. It took your persistence and drive to win that banner.
It revives your passion and makes you want to work harder to do even better at the next show. It gives you the perseverance to push through the hard days and see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. You seem to forget the hard days and realize that winning that banner makes it all worth it in the end.
It pushes you to achieve more goals. Bigger goals. That purple banner gives you a taste of what hard work does and you want to see what even more work will accomplish. You want to attend bigger shows, work for other goals, and continue to push through every obstacle in your way.
That purple banner is more than just a sign of winning. It’s a sign of showing what one can accomplish when they push themselves. When they step outside of their comfort zones, learn new things, and do things that push the limits.
Every showman dreams of winning that purple banner. Every showman walks into the ring hoping that this will be their turn to hang that banner proudly. Not to show the world how amazing their animal, but to show that their hard work finally paid off.