Thursday, December 16, 2010

Big Win, Bigger Smile



by Victor Guerra
At the recent Synergy III Showcase there were lots of good kids who worked hard with their Simbrah cattle in order to show them to the best of their ability.  For those of you who have paid particular attention to Jane Hunt and her heifer Miley, you know that in her first year she had her work cut out for her showing this heifer.  I believe it is a combination of Miley being a tough heifer to show and Jane being a young girl.  I have seen Jane work hard at every show, giving 100 percent to get Miley shown.  As a calf, Miley and Jane were named Grand Champion at the Synergy Showcase II and captured the coveted $3,000 check.  Although Jane had won the show with Miley, nothing had changed Jane is still a young girl trying to show a heifer with a mind of her own. 

Over the course of the next year Jane continued to work hard at home however Miley still gave her all she could handle when trying to get her to stop and set up for the judge.  In order to get it done, she used a nose bud to show her at certain shows, however one judge commented unfavorably about its use.  Her stepfather, Mr. Steve Atzenhoffer often consulted with others and did everything he could to try and make things easier for Jane.  The morning of Showcase III Mr. Atzenhoffer and Jane had decided not to use the nose bud.  It is natural that you always want to win, however I was unaware of just how bad Jane wanted to repeat with Miley at the Showcase.

As the course of the morning went on, Jane told me that she was nervous about showing Miley but eager to get in the ring and win.  After winning a big class and the Senior Division, Jane came out of the ring for a second and I could sense that she was nervous about getting Miley stuck just right in order to give herself the best shot to repeat.  Finally, the moment came and Miley was selected Grand Champion Female for the second year in a roll at the Synergy Showcase, once again attaining Jane that coveted $3,000 check.  When she came out of the ring, I don’t believe I have ever seen a young person so full of life.  With a smile that words can’t describe, Jane received congratulatory hugs from friends and family. 

In this moment, I couldn’t help but appreciate what was really going on.  Yes, Jane and Miley became the first to repeat in MAS Showdown and Simbrah Synergy history, but this feat could not compare to the special moment that Jane and her family were experiencing.  Jane’s smile and fullness of life was a culmination of her hard work and all the hard times she went through in trying to stop Miley and get her shown.  Being part of a company who breeds Simbrah cattle made me proud and the happiness the Atzenhoffer family was experiencing in my eyes was the utmost gratification.  Since this big day, I have often thought about the joy that Jane and her entire family expressed after their big win. 

For me, it wasn’t about cattle during this moment it was all about the happiness and fullness of life that the Atzenhoffer Family was experiencing, especially Jane.  It is my hope that you have had an experience like this as well, where you have worked hard at something, overcame set backs and obstacles and wanted to achieve something so badly, to the point to where when you accomplished it you had that “full of life” feeling.  No words can describe it, but I saw it in Jane that day and I was proud that we as Simbrah breeders were partly responsible for making this moment possible for this hard working young lady and her family.


2 comments:

  1. What a great story!Way to go Jane and family!

    Martha Garrett

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  2. Thank you Victor for sharing this story! Your encouragement and advice for Jane has helped her tremendously. The Atzenhoffer family is so appreciative of everything you have done to help make this such a positive experience for all of us. The Simbrah community is definitely the best in helping raise great kids!

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