BARN BURNER

Competition will be fierce at Oklahoma Youth Expo

In the days and hours leading up to showtime, students at the Oklahoma Youth Expo are friendly with one another.

But when it comes time to show in the ring, the key word is "competition."

“It gets way competitive. It’s a whole other world," said Kaleb Noyes, 18, of Sentinel. "You go out there and you can help people out there … but when we’re in the ring, we’re two different people.”

Scheduled to run through March 16 at State Fair Park, the expo is expected to draw more than 50,000 people, said Tyler Norvell, the expo's executive director. The show has grown so large in recent years that they’ve had to add more time just to prepare for the 19,500 head of livestock that will be shown, he said.

About 7,500 competitors will show during the 10-day event, made up of students from all 77 counties in the state, ranging in age from third grade to seniors in high school. Norvell said it’s not uncommon to see a 9-year-old competing against and 18-year-old.

In his last year to be eligible showing livestock at the event, Noyes said he felt a mixture of sadness and happiness and a certain level of suspense about this year’s show.

Despite the mixed emotions, he said he always enjoys coming and meeting new people and that he’s learned a lot about responsibility he says will help him towards his goal of becoming an agricultural engineer.

“You’ve got to go from being in sports to having time to go walk your animal, feed your animal, get up early in the morning to come feed and then get in late nights at the barn,” said Noyes, who will be showing sheep at the expo. “Then going home and getting like four hours of sleep and starting again the next day. It’s all worth it.”

Madison Church, 12, of Sentinel, echoed the same work ethic. She knows about the late nights in the barn. Competing since she was 9, Church said she’ll be showing a steer and three breeding does this year and relies on the support she gets.

“Teamwork, family and everything, we all work together to get the job done,” Church said.

Also competing from Sentinel is Claire Rose, who said this year’s show will be her fifth showing at the expo. The 14-year-old said it’s not uncommon for competitors, including herself, to get nervous as they enter the show ring, but it typically fades.

Norvell said the annual expo has an estimated $25 million economic impact for Oklahoma City and that State Fair Park officials have told him it’s the busiest weekend at the location other than the Oklahoma State Fair.

“This is the state championship for agriculture," Norvell said. "This weekend, right behind us, they’re going to be playing the state championship for 2A, 3A and 4A basketball and we’re going to be having the state championship in agriculture right here alongside them."

The Oklahoma Youth Expo is free and open to the public. The first show, the Moorman’s ShowTec Purebred Breeding Gilt Show, kicks off at 8 a.m. Thursday.

For a schedule of events, go to okyouthexpo.com/index.php/show-schedule/

[PHOTOS BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN] Jordan Odell, 16, rakes as she prepares the bedding area for her animals in a barn at State Fair Park on Tuesday. The event culminates next week with the Sale of Champions.

Larry Peck, left, and Stone Baldonado load a wooden cutout of a goat onto a trailer in front of show barns at State Fair Park Tuesday afternoon as the Oklahoma Youth Expo gets underway.

[PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN] Youth from Tecumseh prepare the beds for their livestock in one of the show barns at State Fair Park on Tuesday afternoon. From left, are Jenna Jones, 15, Carson Utter and Morgan Wohnoutka, both 16. All three will be exhibiting cattle.

[PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN] Joshua Haven, left, and Tyler Norvell flip through an assortment of signs before the placards are put in place at State Fair Park on Tuesday afternoon.