Over the course of three days, showmen in Henderson County competed for the coveted title of Master Showman and the opportunity to represent the county at the Illinois State Fair’s Master Showmanship competition. After demonstrating his skills showing pigs, sheep, and cattle, Dayne Gittings earned the title Master Showman of Henderson County.
Having represented the county in the past, Gittings credits much of his growth in the ring to learning from his peers.
“I have honestly learned more from other showmen who are my age than anything. I mean, picking up pieces and parts from other kids and just kind of putting that into my own game,” says Gittings. “You get to show against some of the best they’ll ever be, and that’s just an honor to be, I guess, one of them showing and representing your county.”
With this being his final year competing as a 4-H member, Gittings is preparing to leave it all in the ring.
“Intensity, intensity all the time, super good eye contact, having everything top tier, talking to different breeders and producers, and just picking their brains. And going all out with it being my last year,” says Gittings. “I don’t want to leave anything on the table.”
Although he’s aging out of 4-H competition, Gittings has no plans to step away from the organization. He’s already begun giving back in big ways.
“Henderson County has brought back a 4-H judging team, and I’ve coached that this year. We had some good success, we’re just gonna keep expanding with that,” says Gittings. “Making this showmanship [clinic] thing bigger, and then just helping kids with anything they need, whether it’s the dog training or a small woodworking project, up into lambs, goats, beef, pigs.”
The Illinois State Fair Master Showmanship Contest will take place on Friday, August 8th, at 5 pm.
