Published: March 25, 2009 11:31 pm      

YOUTH EXPO: Adair takes top prize at Expo Swine show

Jake Adair left the Youth Expo Wednesday night disappointed. And proud.

While he was upset he did not win the 51st annual Navarro County Youth Exposition’s swine competition, he couldn’t have been prouder of the person who did, little sister Amy Adair, a 15-year-old freshman at Blooming Grove.

“Of course I’m mad; I wanted it,” said Jake, last year’s reserve grand champion. “But she’s my girl. I’ll always be there for her, and she deserves it. She worked just as hard as I did.”

It’s a major commitment, Amy said, and the grand champion ribbon left her speechless, certainly stunned, and a little bit teary-eyed.

“It was really nerve-racking,” Amy said. “It was my first-ever first place.”

She topped Dawson’s Dalton Steele, reserve grand champion, for overall honors after claiming the Class 5 win.

“I hoped for more,” she said, “but I didn’t think it was possible.”

Adair thanked her dad, Steve, with whom she had an emotional embrace moments after the announcement, and Josh Putman for their help.

She was the lone class winner for Blooming Grove, but the FFA group had nine Top 5s in class, at least one in each. Steele took Class 4, while Kirby Jackson of Kerens was the Class 3 champion. Corsicana FFA claimed the others, with Payne Sharpley winning Class 1, Dean Fletes Class 2 and Tucker Farmer Class 6.

Judge Micky Bellamy of Fort Cobb, Okla. has been to the Navarro County show many times in the last decade and offered his own emotional take, calling the ag program the greatest youth program in the world.

Bellamy, 48, said he grew up on a hog farm and has seldom gone a day without seeing one.

“You’ve got a tremendous class of winners out here,” he told a tightly-packed audience before selecting his grand and reserve champions. “I’ve been fortunate enough to judge this show four times in 10 years and the quality gets better and better each time.”

In showmanship, Frost 4-H stalwart Tara Wallis took grand champion honors in the Junior division. Katie Yates of Dawson FFA snared reserve honors, and Nathan Griffin of Corsicana FFA was third.

At the Senior level, it was a Blooming Grove sweep. Big brother Jake Adair took grand champion honors, with Bellamy telling him, “You could show for me anytime,” while Zach Thomas was reserve grand champion and Peyton Southard was third.

Here are the top 5 from each class:

Class 1: 1. Payne Sharpley, Corsicana FFA; 2. Tara Wallis, Frost 4-H; 3. Carly Hooser, Blooming Grove FFA; 4. Zeb Thomas, Blooming Grove FFA; 5. Trey Davis, Emhouse 4-H.

Class 2: 1. Dean Fletes, Corsicana FFA; 2. Nathan Griffin, Corsicana FFA; 3. Dusty Price, Mildred 4-H; 4. Sam Hooser, Blooming Grove FFA; 5. Zane Thomas, Blooming Grove FFA; 6. Chelsea Ward, Corsicana FFA.

Class 3: Kirby Jackson, Kerens FFA; 2. Dave Clemons, Rice 4-H; 3. Zack Thomas, Blooming Grove FFA; 4. Shelton Dunn, Navarro County 4-H; 5. Blake Piland, Blooming Grove FFA.

Class 4: 1. Dalton Steele, Dawson FFA; 2. Brandon Jolly, Mildred 4-H; 3. Josey Kelly, Dawson FFA; 4. Casey Acker, Corsicana FFA; 5. Jake Adair, Blooming Grove FFA.

Class 5: 1. Amy Adair, Blooming Grove FFA; 2. Meagan Smith, Mildred 4-H; 3. Zachary Rash, Corsicana FFA; 4. Logan Melton, Dawson FFA; 5. Hunter Melton, Dawson FFA.

Class 6: 1. Tucker Farmer, Corsicana FFA; 2. Morgan Elmore, Frost FFA; 3. Anna Brewer, Blooming Grove FFA; 4. Katie Yates, Dawson FFA; 5. Rebecca Kindle, Mildred 4-H.

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