photo by Jessica St. James

(LEFT) Thirteen-year-old Jillian Salyers, with the Getaway Go Getters, is seen with her rabbit after having placed first in the 4-H & FFA Market Rabbit Senior Showmanship event junior division. (RIGHT) Eighteen-year-old Jessica Keathley, of Scottown, is seen with her rabbit after having placed first in the 4-H & FFA Market Rabbit Junior Showmanship event.

Keathley, Salyers take rabbit showmanship honors

Popular class brings 91 exhibitors

By Jim Sullivan | The Tribune

Published Thursday, July 16, 2009

ROME TOWNSHIP — Showmanship classes are often compared to mini job interviews where candidates — in this case Lawrence County Junior Fair exhibitors — are brought before an interviewer to present their individual strengths and knowledge of a particular animal.

On Wednesday, 91 exhibitors had their “interviews” before fair judge Stacy Easton of Wilmington in their attempt to show why they were most deserving of showmanship honors in the market rabbit class at the 2009 Lawrence County Fair.

For more than six hours in front of a near-capacity Livestock Arena, Easton questioned 10 classes of exhibitors on their evaluations of the animal along with myriad of queries on a wide range of topics about their market rabbits.

Overcast skies and damp morning conditions gave exhibitors and their animals a respite from the heat while standing at tables positioned at the center of the arena waiting to be called.

In the end, Easton selected overall showmanship winners in both the senior and junior class levels. Champion of the senior level was 18-year-old Jessica Keathley of Scottown while taking top honors in the junior level was 13-year-old Jillian Salyers of the Getaway Gogetters 4-H Club.

The senior class level had 38 entrants in four separate classes while the junior class had 53 exhibitors in six class levels.

Keathley, who won a showmanship title for market goats in 2008, said she came into the 2009 market rabbit event prepared and calm.

“It made it a little easier that my rabbit was very still during the time I was in front of the judge,” Keathley said when describing her 7-month-old, Californian rabbit.

With more than a decade of showing under her belt, Keathley hinted that experience did make some difference in her presentation to Easton.

“It is really fun showing different types of animals because you learn a lot from it, like responsibility,” said Keathley, a Symmes Valley graduate who will be attending Marshall University in the fall.

Keathley was also named as the overall champion in breeding rabbit’s showmanship.

For Salyers, winning was just as exciting despite waiting out nearly four hours of judging.

“I’m tired,” Salyers, said immediately after picking up her winners trophy. “It was really worth it. I made a lot of friends while standing in line.”

Salyers attends Grace Christian School in Huntington, W.Va.

One highlight of the event was the tips and suggestions Easton offered each class right before announcing her winning selections and dismissing them. In some instances, Easton gave tutorials on the proper ways to “flip” a rabbit and what judges are looking for.

Class Winners of the 2009 Market Rabbit Showmanship

Senior Class

• Class One: Jessica Keathley

• Class Two: Brad Lemaster

• Class Three: Tyler Shope

• Class Four: Evan Salyers

• Champion: Jessica Keathley

Junior Class

• Class Five: Zachary Hager

• Class Six: Jillian Salyers

• Class Seven: Joseph Williams

• Class Eight: Justin Black

• Class Nine: Matthew Burns

• Class Ten: Levi Miller

• Champion: Jillian Salyers

Rabbit Skillathon Winners

Senior Level

• First: Tyler Shope

• Second: Michael Morgan

• Third: Kristen Estep

Intermediate Level

• First: Amber Depriest

• Second: Brittany Webb

• Third: Irza Bruner

Junior Level

• First: Breanna Suiter

• Second: Heath Carpenter

• Third: Katelyn Ferguson

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