Regional students compete in annual Northwest Oklahoma Show Pig Circuit | News

ENID, Okla. — Competitors and spectators from across Northwest Oklahoma spent their Saturday at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center for the Northwest Oklahoma Show Pig Circuit.

Held annually between December and February, NWOSPC is a series of member-only junior pig shows and, since 2010, has provided a family-friendly, competitive environment for junior livestock exhibitors in Northwest Oklahoma, according to its website.

Alexa Humphries, a NWOSPC board member, said showing livestock is beneficial for children and teenagers.

“It’s a great example of responsibility — taking care of something other than yourself,” said Humphries, whose own children show livestock. “There’s also showmanship and leadership opportunities and then, overall, just growth in the industry, as well.”

Each year, NWOSPC features five or six jackpot shows, and exhibitors earn points for their participation and placings at each show and the Showmanship and “Skillathon” contests, and awards are given to high-point earners at the completion of NWOSPC.

Humphries said NWOSPC membership is at about 120 participants. Pig shows were held recently in Fairview and Woodward, and the Enid pig show was the last of the NWOSPC’s 2022-23 season.

NWOSPC also helps prepare students for both the Northwest District Junior Livestock Show, which will be from Feb. 28 through March 5 in Enid, and the Oklahoma Youth Expo in March, Humphries added.

Kelsey Dowdle, a senior at Leedey Public Schools, has been showing pigs since she was 6 years old and has always enjoyed and had a passion for it.

“It takes a lot of time, hard work and dedication to show animals,” said Dowdle, who won third place with her Hampshire pig Saturday. “And just being willing to put in the work for your goals. … (Showing animals has taught me) to keep going when things are tough.”

Rylee Glazier, a senior at Lomega Public Schools who won Champion Poland on Saturday, echoed Dowdle.

“Mimicking what Kelsey said, (showing animals has taught me) that no matter when things go bad, never give in — just keep trying,” she said. “Eventually, it’ll work out for you somehow and somehow.”

For Glazier, showing livestock is a family affair, as her mother, father and sister all showed animals, too, and at Thanksgiving, there were “three generations of FFA jackets” there.

Glazier has been showing pigs since she was 2 years old and said she likes the hard work and responsibilities that come with showing pigs.

Lori Glazier said she’s proud of her daughter, saying Glazier has developed a good work ethic over the years from being up at 6 am every day to going out to the barns and staying out late to take care of the animals, on top of doing all her homework.

“I’m just super proud of her, and I think that will do her very well with any future career she wants to do,” Lori said. “Showing livestock is just such a great way to raise your kids because it teaches them that good work ethic.”

Sheila Kelso, a financial analyst with Smithfield Foods, was busy Saturday at NWOSPC with the “Skillathon,” which is a series of quizzes that test competitors’ knowledge of anything and everything pertaining to the swine industry.

Kelso said the “Skillathon” helps prepare students for the OYE and shows Oklahoma youth what their career opportunities are in the pork industry.

“The pork industry in Oklahoma is really large, and a lot of kids that don’t know that there’s opportunities to stay close to home, if they so choose, and work in animal agriculture,” Kelso said.

Prizes were given to the Top 10 participants in each age division — novice, junior, intermediate and senior — and scholarships for $300 and $200 were provided to the top-scoring graduating seniors, which were Dowdle, the graduate high-point, and Glazier, the reserve high-point.

Dowdle has plans to go to Oklahoma State University to major in agribusiness and agricultural communications, and Glazier said she plans to attend a junior college for livestock judging before transferring to a senior college to major in agricultural communications and minor in political science.

The scholarships, the two said, will help pay for their college education.

“It’ll go towards our education so that we can give back to this industry,” Dowdle said.

“Same as Kelsey said — this will help with schooling so that we can give back to the industry that’s given us so much,” Glazier said.

The NWOSPC resumes at 10 am Sunday, Jan. 29.