For many juniors the week of the Junior National is their most looked forward too week of the year, so it’s important to the breed associations and host states to make sure it’s just that. Year after year the Junior Shorthorn Exhibitors look forward to their best 7 days of the Summer and Shelby Diehm, ASA Director of Junior Activities & Director of Junior National Show and her junior board members work hard to make sure that it is just that which is why the National Junior Shorthorn was voted as the 2020 Best of the Barns Most Enjoyable Junior National. We wanted to know some of these secrets behind their successful agenda, so we sat down with Junior Board President, Lexi Wetzel to get the inside scoop.
What kind of precedent do you try to set for NJSS?
Before I was on the board. I started by setting an example of being involved in many of the activities that happen at Junior Nationals. I feel that this encourages the kids to take chances, try something they haven’t done before and get involved. Those are the experiences where you meet new people and often have the best time, no matter the outcome.
What all do you as a Junior Board do to make sure that NJSS is the most enjoyable show of the summer?
We plan a variety of activities that everyone can participate in, including parents. Even though the week is long, we really enjoy what we’re doing, and I think the kids see that and it makes it fun for them to participate too. We encourage kids to try new things and we’re always reaching out to help when we can.
As a junior board, what are your duties in putting on a Junior National?
As a junior board, some of biggest duties are done well before the week of junior nationals. We spend a great amount of time game planning and making sure that the week can be the best it can be. Then during the week, we spend most of our time helping out at the contests, youth conferences, and other events. Each event has a board member or two who are in charge of running that event and then the rest pitch in. It spreads the leadership and responsibility around to the entire board.
What is your goal as a group when you’re planning and preparing for the event?
When we start planning for junior nationals, I think our number one goal is always to keep the junior members in mind and do what will best benefit them. Because ultimately, they are the reason, we do what we do. They are the ones that voted us onto the board with the expectation to make the best decisions.
What is one thing you hope that your exhibitors get out of the Junior National?
I truly hope that the juniors can look back at their week spent at junior nationals, whether this is their first, last, or any other in between, and not just remember were they placed or what awards were won or not won but the friendships and memories they made.
Why do you feel that NJSS is consistently one of the best junior nationals every year?
I believe that one of the reasons that NJSS is one of the best junior nationals in my mind is because it goes beyond the livestock. It is the people that become like family that continue to make it the best. Our Shorthorn family is the best!
What are you most excited about for the 2021 NJSS?
I think I can speak for myself and all the other board members – we are very excited to see everyone and spend a week with our shorthorn family! We have a lot of fun and new activities planned at the Shorthorn Safari.