UW wool judging team succeeds
Earning high team overall at its first contest set the stage for the University of Wyoming (UW) wool judging team maintaining a strong season while building and creating leaders.
Strong team leadership
Wool judging team Coach Whit Stewart said Courtney and Amy Newman from Fort Collins, Colo., and Dylan Laverell from Big Timber, Mont., served as assistant coaches for the season.
Stewart said he would not be able to coach wool judging and organize contests without the help of his assistant coaches.
“For the past three years, we’ve had excellent coaches step up,” said Stewart, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science and UW Extension sheep specialist. “This is the cool part to me. We really get to train some excellent leaders through this.”
Stewart said he is also grateful to the producers who are all tremendously invested in the sheep program at UW.
“Bigger picture, we hope to let people know we are creating leaders and advocates in our industry,” said Stewart.
Judging season success
The season started with highest team overall, high team placings and high team reasons at the Cowboy Classic in November held in Laramie.
Jess Moody from Big Timber, Mont. was high individual overall, high individual in reasons, third high individual on the grading rail and second high individual in placings.
Grace Gullatt from Salem, Ala. was fourth high individual overall and high individual on the grading rail. Tanner Wright from Laramie was third high individual overall, sixth in grading rail and second in reasons.
The team was third high overall out of 10 teams at the 7220 Contest at Laramie.
Katie Costner from Tomball, Texas was ninth high individual overall, Wright was second on the grading rail and Gullatt was 10th on the grading rail.
UW hosted the 7220 Contest in January in place of the National Western Stock Show contest which was canceled due to COVID-19.
“The contest goal was to make the competition more industry relevant and make it a long-standing tradition,” shared Stewart.
UW was the third high team out of four teams, second high team in placings and second high team in reasons at the final contest of the season held at the Feb. 5 Black Hills Stock Show in Rapid City, S.D.
Costner was seventh high individual overall, sixth in placings and fifth inreasons. Gullatt was fifth high individual overall, fifth on the grading rail, eighth in placings and sixth in reasons.
Wright was third high individual overall, eighth on the grading rail, seventh in placings and fourth in reasons. Marshall was eighth high individual overall, tenth on the grading rail and fourth in placings.
This article was written by Katie Shockley and is courtesy of the University of Wyoming. For more information, e-mail Shockley at jshock12@uwyo.edu or visit uwagnews.com.
