|
Two years ago
Shannon decided she wanted to show sheep. Not just any sheep, but she wanted
to show Tunis like the handful of Tunis mom had in her dairy. So... her
parents told her they would buy her her first two foundation ewes - after
that, it was up to her.
Shannon went to
the Cassell's that spring and (in her very opinionated way), picked out the
two ewe lambs she wanted. She spent the year caring for them, learning about
them, learning to shear, bath, trim feet, handle and feed properly. And yes,
they were VERY loved!
She showed her
lambs in 4-H and at two fairs where one of the lambs took Grand Champion Ewe
out of the Feb ewe lamb class (at midnight!!) What an introduction to the
fair circuit. Both ewe lambs were very competitive and have taught her
so much. She struggled with Showmanship that first year (but who doesn't),
and she began to make plans for the coming years.

Shannon
showing her Jan ewe lamb at the state fair
She used her fair money from last fall to buy a ram lamb,
and bred that ram to a few older commercial Tunis... and then the waiting
began... her very own lambs would arrive in the spring.
And arrive they did... ram after ram after ram!!! Only the
very LAST lamb of the season was a ewe lamb. She could have been pink with
purple spots and it wouldn't have mattered - Shannon had her very first
bred-by ewe!!! A little short on ewe lambs and a little fair money in the
bank, she went back to Barbara's and picked out two more ewe lambs. Let the
show season begin!!! To say it's been quite a ride for this young lady is an
understatement. ..
At the four day 4-H State Junior Sheep Expo, her yearling
took Grand Champion Tunis Ewe and her March bred-by took Grand Champion
Bred-by Tunis ewe AND she placed in the finals in Showmanship.
Then... on to 2 county fairs, 2 regional fairs, and then
the State Fair last weekend.
At the first 4 junior fairs, her yearling was Grand Champion Tunis Ewe 3
times... her Feb ewe lamb was Grand Champion the other time. Her Jan ewe
lamb taking reserve all 4 times. Her first bred-by ram was Grand Champion
all 4 times as well.
AND the icing on the cake... she has placed every time in Showmanship! !!

Shannon's
ram taking Grand Champion out of AOB at the TN State Fair and her yearling
ewe taking Reserve Grand Champion Ewe.
Then... to end the season... the State Fair... Tunis had
to compete in AOB against a bunch of nice Oxfords and Cheviots. Shannon's
ram lamb took Grand Champion Ram, and her yearling took Reserve Grand
Champion Ewe.

Shannon
with her yearling Skecher after one of her 5 Grand Champion wins... this is
also the same ewe who took Reserve Grand Champion out of AOB at the TN State
Fair.
Just competing for Supreme ram was a thrill in and of
itself... he was her first bred-by ram and all the other kids in there were
at least 4-5 years older than her (although we didn't realize she was by far
the youngest until looking at the pictures after the fact).
Shannon has had a blast!! She LOVES her sheep!! And... Mom
Sheri says "I guess we're going to bite the bullet and make the trip to
NAILE. We can't wait to meet all the other Tunis folks and see Tunis from
other parts of the country. I suspect it will be a whirlwind weekend just
being there."

Shannon
and her yearling just after competing for Supreme Ch at the TVA&I Fair
(one pooped kid - she had helped friends show 6 different breeds that
day)
The family looks forward to meeting many of you in
November.
- Submitted by Sheri (and Shannon) Palko
Thank you so much to Barbara Cassell for all of her
support and help over the last 2 years - her experience and friendship have
been invaluable, not to mention her willingness and patience to help a new
junior in the breed. We couldn't have done it without you, you'll never know
how much your time and help has meant.
Thank you also to all the other Tunis folks out there,
many of whom we still haven't meant, who have been so supportive. We have
received many emails and even some phone calls with words of encouragement.
What a great Tunis community this is, we look so forward to meeting many of
you at our first trip to NAILE this year.
Youth
Scholarship Application
Rules
A.
Must be a graduating senior from high school the year of the application
B.
Must be a member of the National Tunis Sheep Registry or parent or guardian
must be a member
C.
Application is due January 1st
D.
A selection committee will review the applications and announce the winner
at the National Tunis Youth Show in September
Youth
Representative Application
Rules
A.
Must be less than 19 years old on January 1 of year selected
B.
Must be a member of the National Tunis Sheep Registry or parent or guardian
must be a member
C.
Application received by a committee member by April 1
D.
The Youth Representative will be responsible for attending as many of the
National Registry
functions
as possible and to promote the
Tunis
breed in general
E.
A selection committee will review application
Louise Dunham and Dale Hunhke,
reporters
Dark-Khaki,
Tan and Gray
All
with our slogan "Not Everything in the Sheep Industry is Black &
White" in red lettering. We have plans to add a rust colored shirt
with tan lettering soon, watch for the announcement on the website.
The
T-shirts sell for $12.00 and the sweatshirts sell for $24.00
It
cost $2.00 to ship T's and $4.00 to ship the sweatshirts
E-mail
Kelly Stumpe to place an order
THANK
YOU TO:
MOM'S
TUNIS, THE CASSELL FAMILY
for
donating a ewe lamb for the 2007 NTSRI youth auction.
Top of Page
2007 NTSRI Youth Representative
-
Sean Harper from Southwick, MA
2007 NTSRI Scholarship Winners
-
Dana Gochenour from Woodstock, VA
-
Eric Kleman from Ottawa, OH
-
Brittany Pitts from Olney, IL
Top of Page
The
2007 Tunis Futurity has been developed to encourage and support youth
interest in Tunis sheep. Youth have the opportunity to purchase quality ewe
lambs and breeders have the opportunity to promote their breeding, showcase
their best and to encourage youth interest in Tunis sheep. Sponsored by the
Northeast Tunis Sheep Association, the Futurity is open to all breeders and
all youth purchasers.
Futurity
lambs may be purchased directly from Tunis breeders or at these designated
sales:
-
National Tunis Show & Sale – May 26 & 27, 2007 - Wooster, OH
-
Tunis Summer Spectacular – June 20-21, 2007 - Springfield, IL
-
New
England Sale – July 20 & 21, 2007 - West Springfield, MA
For more details,
including exhibitor rules click here.
Top of Page
|