November 10, 2021 Virtual Charolais Youth Stockjudging Competition 2021

With many agricultural shows being postponed, or operating with limited attendance, the Society’s regular Charolais Youth Final at the Great Yorkshire Show sadly could not go ahead this year. Instead, the Society held a Virtual Charolais Youth Stockjudging Competition online, open to any participants from ages 8 to 26.

The competition involved watching videos of bulls being paraded and placing them in the participants’ preferred order. The top 5 from each age group would then attend a Zoom meeting with Master Judge Neil Blyth to explain their reasons for their placements.

Neil was incredibly impressed with the young judges, stating:
“It’s been an honour to judge this competition. The quality of the competitors has been really high, and I would like to congratulate everyone who made it through to the final heat on a fantastic effort. It was really pleasing to listen to their placing and reasons, they all performed far better than I could have ever imagined. The future is certainly looking bright with this batch of young breeders coming on!”

The final results for each age group (Junior, Intermediate, Senior) are as follows, with points scored out of a maximum of 150:

Junior (age 8-14)

1^st place: Gregor Milne, age 13, with a total of 144 points
2^nd place: George Armstrong, age 12, with a total of 139 points
3^rd place: Iona Mallarkey, age 10, with a total of 132 points

Intermediate (age 15-18)

1^st place: Molly Bradley, age 18, with a total of 147 points
2^nd place: Katie-Anna Scott, age 16, with a total of 140 points
3^rd place: Leah Rainey, age 16, with a total of 132 points

Senior (age 19-26)

1^st place: Lois Scott, age 23, with a total of 146 points
2^nd place: Bartley Finnegan, age 23, with a total of 144 points
3^rd place: Donald Maclean, age 23, with a total of 138 points

The 1^st place winners of each group will receive 2 tickets to a 2022 agricultural show of their choosing, a customised British Charolais Cattle Society jacket, and a certificate. The 2^nd place runners-up will each receive a British Charolais Cattle Society jacket, a keyring, and a certificate. Finally, those in 3^rd place will receive a Charolais keyring and certificate.

Congratulations to all of our prize winners, and a massive thank-you to all who entered the competition. We are working closely with co-ordinator Annabelle Howell to bring you more exciting competitions in the future – watch this space!