Junior Perspective
Do Good, Be Good, and Have Fun!
By Randa Taylor, NALJA secretary
Wow, what a great time we had in Grand Island, Nebraska this past July. It was a week filled with competitions, new friends, fun games, and showing great cattle. I want to congratulate each and every one of you that exhibited an animal and / or entered a satellite event. Win or lose, the first step is trying!
As I was unloading our tack and setting up stalls this year at my twelfth junior national show, I kept reminding myself of my Papa’ s famous words,“ do good, be good, and have fun.” This is the simple advice he always impressed upon me, and year after year it becomes more clear the importance of these words. He never told me to“ be the best” or“ you must win first” or“ do not mess up.” He simply smiled at me every time I was to enter the ring and repeated,“ do good, be good, and have fun!”
Do good. In everything you do give it your best, no matter what the end result might be. Simply do a good job, and the reward is in itself. Whether you are in the show ring, a classroom, or a judging competition, simply focus on doing a good job and you won’ t be disappointed.
Be good. Always be a good person, good role model, good helper, and make good choices. Step up and help the person next to you set up their stalls or unload their trailer. Jump in and introduce yourself to a newcomer or someone that is sitting alone. Do everything with pride; win with pride, loose with pride, and always show respect to others.
Have fun. I believe this one is the most important and sadly the one some seem to forget about. As we go through life, we must have fun. Sometimes we get caught up in the competition or the stress of life, and we forget to just stop and have fun. So turn the music up and sing loudly, dress up silly and dance in a beef cook-off skit, or play a game of kickball in the middle of the day, and make sure to mix some fun into your life everyday.
This next year as the show season starts back up and school comes into full swing, I want to challenge each and every one of you to take my Papa’ s advice. When you go to the barn to wash and work with your cattle, when you’ re playing sports for your team, or even just a regular day at school – do good, be good, and have fun. I
NALJA Board of Directors
President: Ethan Freund, CO
Ethan _ Freund @ yahoo. com 303-502-4605
Vice President: Callie Hicks, KY Callie. Hicks @ uky. edu 859-699-3893
Secretary: Randa Taylor, TX
RandaTaylor99 @ yahoo. com 817-504-6927
Treasurer: Dominic Ruppert, IL
Ruppert _ 97 @ hotmail. com 217-254-2558
Ex-Officio: Anna Johnson, MN
Anna. Johnson610 @ gmail. com 218-640-1117
Director: Katie Hurt, KY AnneKathrynHurt @ gmail. com 859-475-7510
Director: Aaron Linhart, IA
15ALinhart @ gmail. com 641-414-5060
Director: Lindsey Gulotta, LA
LiveOakCattle @ gmail. com 985-351-7674
Director: Hannah Ziegler, OH HannahFarmsLLC @ hotmail. com 419-618-2441
Director: Brooke Falk, KS brianfal @ msn. com 785-817-2214
Staff Advisor: Katie Campbell Katie @ NALF. org, 913-683-1415
Adult Advisor: Jim Bob Hendrickson
Jim. Bob. Hendrickson @ okfb. com 918-521-9031
50 | SEPTEMBER 2017