Throughout their season the University of Wyoming Livestock Judging team was able to hold a top four finish at each of their six competitions.
The UW livestock judging team has been around since the 1920s, and though it has not been a consecutive team competing each year, it has been almost every year that someone has been representing the University of Wyoming in livestock judging competitions throughout the nation.
“From most recent, modern centuries for livestock judging team success, this recent year has been the most successful,” said Assistant Coach Laurel Rigby, who has been livestock judging since she was eight. “The one that is competing right now, the 2018-2019 team has been the most competitive so far, and I am pretty sure that’s going to uphold throughout the fall, so we’re excited about that.”
With high placings at national competitions, such as National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado, and the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo, the UW livestock judging team as been able to gain credit as a top team in the nation.
“It was a great finish to the season for the team,” said Coach Caleb Boardman in a news release to the university. “To stay in the top four at every contest shows they are one of the top teams in the country.”
The UW Livestock judging team travelled to Colorado, Texas, Nebraska and other states to compete at both small and national competitions throughout the spring. At each of these competitions the UW team finished in the top four throughout the spring.
“Since Caleb started about four or five years ago, this has been his most successful team. With the team before had been the most successful one up until now, so we just kind of keep climbing the ladder,” said Rigby. “Caleb has done a lot to change the success and the records of the University of Wyoming, he’s been excellent at being the catalyst and creating more success between all of these recent teams.”
Over the summer the team will host a livestock judging camp to refine their skills for the fall season. In the fall the team will travel to Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma to hopefully continue their success from this spring.
“Livestock judging creates really great personal skills as far as communication, being able to make decisions quickly and it really teaches you persistence with days where we start at six and won’t end until one in the morning,” said Rigby.
