Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Ewe little beauties
AMarlborough shearer says it’s been a challenge balancing a burgeoning business and training to set a world record. Sarah Higgins, of Higgins Shearing, was on a team which set the four-stand women’s world record, shearing 2066 lambs in nine hours.
Getting the four shearers together was a feat in its own right, but they went on to smash their goal of 2000 lambs.
‘‘It was pretty cool to just highlight that women have made it in shearing and that we’re getting more and more competitive,’’ Higgins said.
Higgins said there was ‘‘a lot more’’ women in the shearing scene since she started back in 2015.
Competition day kicked of at 4.30am on January 23, at Waihi Pukawa Station, near Turangi. They spent nine hours shearing, with the day broken up by breakfast, lunch and smoko’s.
‘‘It’s the first time a team of women have been able to get together and set a record,’’ she said.
Higgins, who grew up on a farm in Havelock, was introduced to shearing by her mother, and began working as wool classer as a holiday job between school and university terms.
She studied at Lincoln University and had gone on to set up her own business, employing seven people in Marlborough.
January was her busiest time of year with work, and she was balancing work with training requirements in preparation for competition day.
‘‘It’s been quite a challenge doing both.’’ Training was ‘‘pretty much the same as any elite athlete’’.
‘‘Trying to build our endurance, trying to keep flexibility and mobility good, and nutrition...’’
Higgins sheared 528 lambs on the day. Gore shearer Megan Whitehead headed the individual tallies with 608, Piopio-based shearer Natalya Rangiawha, from Raglan, shore 507, and Amy Silcock, from Wairarapa farming locality Tiraumea, finished with 423.