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Showmanship competition leaves many high on the hog

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By Justin McClelland Updated 4:10 PM Thursday, July 21, 2011

LEBANON — Sometimes no matter how much you prod him, your hog just won’t bring home the bacon.

It was a cruel lesson learned by a few of the more than 130 kids competing Thursday in the Warren County Fair’s Market Hog Showmanship competition.

To the untrained eye, the competition appeared to border anarchy with 10-12 competitors at a time attempting to lead their respective hogs — who weight about twice as much as their masters while sitting a more compact frame — around a ring with only a cane or stick to guide them. At times, the hogs would sometimes stop or turn with little notice, leaving the competitor to guide them back into place with a whack to the shoulders.

“It’s about guiding the hog so the judge gets the most views,” explained Daniel Shinkle, 16, of Waynesville, the champion of his age group. “You need a pig whose easygoing, likes to walk with his head up and isn’t running all around.”

“You want to keep a good distance from the judge, stay at the rear of the animal, be about as smooth as possible,” said Grant Pitman, 14, of Loveland, the champion of his age bracket.

Pitman was able to impress the judge by expertly turning his partner, named Dale, so the judge could view all angles of the hog.

Most of the champions had been working with their hogs on a daily basis since late April or early May, walking up to an hour each day to prepare both themselves and their charges.

“It’s a big time commitment,” said Brady O’Brien, 15, of Lebanon, another champion.

The competitors aim was to catch the eye of a lone judge, who then analyzed each performance out loud to the spectators on hand.

“I was pretty nervous when he was critiquing me,” said Shinkle. “But then I realized he was talking about stuff like what I should do if I go on to the state fair and I figured that had to be a good sign.”

The week’s lingering heat wave gave the competition an added twist.

“The heat definitely makes the animal more lethargic,” O’Brien said. “If it had been a little cooler, the animals would have walked more.”

Whether they walked like champions or bit their masters and attempted to escape through the metal gates surrounding the ring, at the end of the week, the majority of the strutting hogs were going to be put in their place.

“He’s going to end up somebody’s dinner,” Shinkle said of his porcine companion, whose name — Chophouse — was symbolic of his fate. “He’s in the auction tomorrow.”

The Warren County Fair continues today and Saturday. Tickets are $8 per person.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.

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