Well folks the time has come for us to jump into the big white 15 passenger van one last time. It seems just like yesterday we were beginning this crazy judging year naive and unknowing what to expect in the upcoming 11 months. Now, here we are setting sail for one last go. It's been one heck of a ride and no matter the outcome at the Ville, I want you all to know a couple things.
1) Thank-you for being more than my teammates. We definitely didn't get to pick each other out, but I'm glad we didn't and I wouldn't trade anybody out (most days). To the outside world we were a bunch of misfits brave/stupid/crazy enough to spend every single weekend facing the weather to sort some stock, but I can't think of a group of people that meshed quite as well as we did. We fought, laughed, cried, and celebrated like brothers and sisters, even though we knew little about each other before this season started. Thank-you for being my family.
2) Thank-you for always having my back. It refreshing to be part of a group of people who would be the first to defend me or stick up for me if I ever needed it. No matter how much teasing and poking went on in the van or during practice I knew that I would always have my teammates ready to go up to bat for me, no matter the situation. Thank-you for guarding my blindside.
3) Thank-you for not holding grudges. It's no secret that a certain teammate had a tendency to bust every single market lamb class at every contest, which usually had a large effect on our team placing overall. However, none of you once pointed blame, no matter how obvious who's fault it was. No matter who had a good day or who had a bad, applauding each other's successes was always top priority. That takes a lot of respect and courtesy to put competitiveness aside. For you to do that truly exemplifies the class you demonstrate in and out of the arena. Thank-you for always being quick to forgive.
4) Thank-you for every single memory made on this journey. Whether it's sing-alongs in the van, getting poured on or snowed on during practice, and late nights that turned into early mornings after a contest; these are the things that will be engraved in my mind, not how many points we dropped off the floor. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard so many times in my life, and I doubt I ever will again. Thank-you for making this the greatest year of my life (thus far).
5) Finally, thank-you for taking this crazy ride with me. It's hard to understand just how stressful yet rewarding collegiate judging can be until you've actually experienced it. Through those stressful times we gained a bond with each other that we will never get with anybody else. We could always tell who was having a bad day during practice and we would do everything possible to try to keep the mood up. We helped each other with homework and even steered each other towards different job opportunities we stumbled upon. It takes a very special group of friends to go to the lengths that we do to be accountable for each other. Thank-you for keeping my sane through it all.
Win or lose, I wouldn't have traded this experience with you guys for anything. Only a few people will get to say they were on our university's 2016 livestock judging team, and those few people are us. Less than 200 senior college students get to be a part of what we did so I'm beyond blessed and proud to have gotten to do it with you guys by my side. Here's to Louisville and many relationships and memories that will last a lifetime.
1) Thank-you for being more than my teammates. We definitely didn't get to pick each other out, but I'm glad we didn't and I wouldn't trade anybody out (most days). To the outside world we were a bunch of misfits brave/stupid/crazy enough to spend every single weekend facing the weather to sort some stock, but I can't think of a group of people that meshed quite as well as we did. We fought, laughed, cried, and celebrated like brothers and sisters, even though we knew little about each other before this season started. Thank-you for being my family.
2) Thank-you for always having my back. It refreshing to be part of a group of people who would be the first to defend me or stick up for me if I ever needed it. No matter how much teasing and poking went on in the van or during practice I knew that I would always have my teammates ready to go up to bat for me, no matter the situation. Thank-you for guarding my blindside.
3) Thank-you for not holding grudges. It's no secret that a certain teammate had a tendency to bust every single market lamb class at every contest, which usually had a large effect on our team placing overall. However, none of you once pointed blame, no matter how obvious who's fault it was. No matter who had a good day or who had a bad, applauding each other's successes was always top priority. That takes a lot of respect and courtesy to put competitiveness aside. For you to do that truly exemplifies the class you demonstrate in and out of the arena. Thank-you for always being quick to forgive.
4) Thank-you for every single memory made on this journey. Whether it's sing-alongs in the van, getting poured on or snowed on during practice, and late nights that turned into early mornings after a contest; these are the things that will be engraved in my mind, not how many points we dropped off the floor. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard so many times in my life, and I doubt I ever will again. Thank-you for making this the greatest year of my life (thus far).
5) Finally, thank-you for taking this crazy ride with me. It's hard to understand just how stressful yet rewarding collegiate judging can be until you've actually experienced it. Through those stressful times we gained a bond with each other that we will never get with anybody else. We could always tell who was having a bad day during practice and we would do everything possible to try to keep the mood up. We helped each other with homework and even steered each other towards different job opportunities we stumbled upon. It takes a very special group of friends to go to the lengths that we do to be accountable for each other. Thank-you for keeping my sane through it all.
Win or lose, I wouldn't have traded this experience with you guys for anything. Only a few people will get to say they were on our university's 2016 livestock judging team, and those few people are us. Less than 200 senior college students get to be a part of what we did so I'm beyond blessed and proud to have gotten to do it with you guys by my side. Here's to Louisville and many relationships and memories that will last a lifetime.