Family trees for most people are pretty straightforward. It starts with "Me", expands to "Mom and Dad", their parents and children, and those parents and children, and so on and so on. There are lines that clearly define the lineage from one cousin to another. It's pretty black and white and relatively easy to comprehend. Well, when you grow up in the stock show industry, your family tree is filled with a couple extra branches and leaves that make a giant grey area in the smack dab middle of the tree. It's not a bad tree by any means, but it definitely differentiates itself from your traditional lineage.
When one first ventures out into the stock show world their tree is relatively black and white: Dad, Mom, Brother, and Sister with the occasional uncle or grandpa. During their first year, the tree is still pretty black and white, but buds are beginning to poke out of branches. They are not in full bloom by any means, but they are still there none the less thanks to those families who give occasional advice or help to keep the "new family" from looking like total idiots.
The second year is when the buds are opening up and beginning to bloom. Your family spends a lot of time with other families during shows and fair, but they still aren't considered family members quite yet. Breeders and fitters gradually come around more often, but again they are not considered "part of the family" quite yet. You also meet more family's that you show with, and also offer a helping hand to the "new family" you were a part of yourself not that long ago.
Year three things get a little more close. That family you see at all the jack pots and during the entire fair become close family friends, and you spend more time together outside of the show world together too. You're babysitting the kids of your breeder or fitter to help pay off feed and other show supplies. New family's start reaching out to you for advice and ask you to come out to look at their stock to get another opinion. The tree gets grayer and grayer and the buds are in full bloom.
Fast forward a couple more years and that family tree is about double in size than when you first entered a show ring. You have "adopted" brothers and sisters, whom you sometimes fight with just as much as you do with your actual brothers and sisters. Your families start having potluck meals during shows together and you aren't hesitant to ask your "other mom" to make that crock pot dish you absolutely love. Your breeders and fitters are basically your uncles and at this point and you are their regular babysitter which means you are their role models as they start their show careers. Your immediate family helps run the show/fair in some form or another and always willing to help the "new family" in whatever they need. Your family tree is very gray at this point, full of new leaves and branches, and starting to lean a little bit, but that's how it should be.
If you ask a stock show kid who they credit their success in and out of the show ring to, I guarantee their list expands far beyond Mom and Dad. Show ring success involves a whole troop of people. I myself have one actual sister, and then 4 "adopted" show brothers, and I treat them all and love them all the same. It's hard to imagine that people who are constantly each other's competition can still put the competition aspect aside and help each other reach our full showring potential. If there is an emergency or other tragedy, your stock show family is the first ones to reach out and do whatever they can to help. Not many industries can say that and I truly believe that's what makes the show stock industry one of the largest extra curricular events for youth across the U.S. Thank-you to all the people blood related or not that help keep the stock show industry a close knit and supportive community.
When one first ventures out into the stock show world their tree is relatively black and white: Dad, Mom, Brother, and Sister with the occasional uncle or grandpa. During their first year, the tree is still pretty black and white, but buds are beginning to poke out of branches. They are not in full bloom by any means, but they are still there none the less thanks to those families who give occasional advice or help to keep the "new family" from looking like total idiots.
The second year is when the buds are opening up and beginning to bloom. Your family spends a lot of time with other families during shows and fair, but they still aren't considered family members quite yet. Breeders and fitters gradually come around more often, but again they are not considered "part of the family" quite yet. You also meet more family's that you show with, and also offer a helping hand to the "new family" you were a part of yourself not that long ago.
Year three things get a little more close. That family you see at all the jack pots and during the entire fair become close family friends, and you spend more time together outside of the show world together too. You're babysitting the kids of your breeder or fitter to help pay off feed and other show supplies. New family's start reaching out to you for advice and ask you to come out to look at their stock to get another opinion. The tree gets grayer and grayer and the buds are in full bloom.
Fast forward a couple more years and that family tree is about double in size than when you first entered a show ring. You have "adopted" brothers and sisters, whom you sometimes fight with just as much as you do with your actual brothers and sisters. Your families start having potluck meals during shows together and you aren't hesitant to ask your "other mom" to make that crock pot dish you absolutely love. Your breeders and fitters are basically your uncles and at this point and you are their regular babysitter which means you are their role models as they start their show careers. Your immediate family helps run the show/fair in some form or another and always willing to help the "new family" in whatever they need. Your family tree is very gray at this point, full of new leaves and branches, and starting to lean a little bit, but that's how it should be.
If you ask a stock show kid who they credit their success in and out of the show ring to, I guarantee their list expands far beyond Mom and Dad. Show ring success involves a whole troop of people. I myself have one actual sister, and then 4 "adopted" show brothers, and I treat them all and love them all the same. It's hard to imagine that people who are constantly each other's competition can still put the competition aspect aside and help each other reach our full showring potential. If there is an emergency or other tragedy, your stock show family is the first ones to reach out and do whatever they can to help. Not many industries can say that and I truly believe that's what makes the show stock industry one of the largest extra curricular events for youth across the U.S. Thank-you to all the people blood related or not that help keep the stock show industry a close knit and supportive community.