GREENWICH, N.Y. — A dairy judge can make or break a show. No one wants to go to a show with an inconsistent judge who judges based on the leadsman or rushes through classes. Luckily, the Tri-County Show did not have that problem this year with its judge David Crack.
There is a lot to be said about the thoroughness David Crack displayed in the ring and his kindness to the children on the halters. Some classes were quite large, but Crack was sure to place every animal and ensure every person stayed in the correct placing. Read on to learn more about this year’s Tri-County Show and the judge who made it one we will surely not forget.
The Black and White Show
The Tri-County Holstein Show, also known as the Black and White Show, is held annually alongside the Canton Brown Swiss Show and the Eastern New York Summer Jersey Show. For the past three years, it has been held at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Greenwich, New York as it continues to grow with the other dairy cow shows held at the same time.
The show started with 29 spring heifer calf entries that David Crack thoroughly looked at while maintaining a good pace for judging. The classes got smaller from there but there were a notable 14 entries in the junior 3-year-old class with Cookie Cutter Holsteins coming out on top.
Grand Champion of the open and junior show went to Lauren King with KINGS-RANSOM CRSH DESIRE ~ 1815. Reserve Grand Champion of the open show went to LIDDLEHOLME DM PRECIOUS-ET ~ 1962 and Reserve Grand Champion of the Junior show went to KINGS-RANSOM DELTAL SLAMMIN ~ 2635. You can find the rest of the placings for the day here.
Overall, it was a high competition show as always with many beautiful Holsteins, both red and black, going through the ring. The show went quite smoothly with Adam Little scooping poop and Kathy Hanehan doing an excellent job as the ring assistant. We look forward to seeing what the show has to offer next year.
Who Is David Crack?
The judge at this year’s Tri-County Show is known for his consistency and thoroughness. His kind demeanor and attention to detail made him very well perceived by the kids and their parents, as well as others at this year’s Tri-County show.
David Crack grew up in Richmond, Quebec on his family’s registered Holstein farm, Crackholm Holsteins. He has been an official judge since 2000 and has had the opportunity to judge in Canada, the U.S., and about 22 other countries. He judges confirmation classes, youth shows, and even showmanship.
Crack and his family have had over 30 All-Canadian or All-American nominations in the last 10 years. He is on the 2023 Holstein Association USA National Judges List as a certified judge that can be a resource for shows of all sizes across the country.
Nothing Slips Through Crack
David Crack immediately caught the attention of many inside and outside the ring starting with the March calf class. With such a large class, many judges will do a quick glance, place their top ones, and just have the bottom rush into line. Not David though.
He took his time to give a thorough look at every animal, even the ones that fell to the bottom of the pack. He did so in a timely manner though, not at all slowing down the show while still giving everyone an equal chance. Once in line, he gave everyone another look, forming two pulls before the final placing where he gave everyone (even those at the bottom) a last look as they walked into line.
This alone was worth noting. Many judges will just tell the bottom of the pack to line up and the placing you get is completely dependent on how fast you can get into line. Everyone deserves to be placed and know that their calf actually deserved the placing it got. David made sure everyone got a fair look and placed where they earned.
No Stealing Places with David Crack
A big thing that happens at many larger shows is the stealing of placings. We teach our kids from a young age to rush into line and line up real close to the cow in front of them so that no one can steal your spot when the judge isn’t looking. It is sad that this happens and that we have to teach kids this, but it does indeed happen. Not with David Crack though.
Multiple times throughout the day, David stopped to help kids get into the right spot in line. He made sure everyone made it where they were supposed to be, even once correcting a girl who didn’t see him point to her and had gone farther down the line than she was supposed to. With a warm smile, he definitely made the experience a fun one for the kids who were struggling to get their cows to move or who were new to the show ring and needed assistance understanding where they were supposed to go.
Also, since he gave such a thorough look at the cows up until their last step into the final pull, there was no way for anyone to steal a placing. David managed to do this with large classes and still have the show go by in a timely manner. Other judges take note.
Enjoying A Show with David Crack
A judge that smiles, jokes a little, helps kids, and does a thunderclap when selecting Grand Champion makes any show that much more enjoyable. Plus, David didn’t give into ringside pressure or judge a cow based on its leadsman. He did a great job staying consistent with his judging and placing everyone fairly. In the big show world, this doesn’t always happen.
The 2023 Tri-County Holstein show was a lot of fun this year and a big part of that was because of David Crack. Thank you, David, for reminding everyone to have a little fun in the ring and giving every leadsman a chance to show off their cow.
The Power of a Good Judge
A good judge can make a huge difference in whether kids and even adults will like showing. Judges who don’t look at certain calves and allow places to get stolen can discourage individuals from wanting to show. If you don’t have the right name or aren’t “halter candy” as it gets called sometimes, you may not stand a chance in a national ring with some judges. These judges give into ringside pressure and don’t play a fair game. Why would anyone want to try to compete in a rigged game?
Dairy showing should be solely about the cows, not who is on the halter. Judges should also take the time to place every cow that enters the ring no matter the size of the class. Crack proved it could be done at all three shows held during the Tri-County show. Everyone works hard year-round to get their cows in that ring and so everyone deserves to be placed.
Of course, there are shows like NAILE where the classes are huge with over 50 cows in a single class. However, these shows usually have 2 judges and I must say, I have always been placed at NAILE, even at the bottom of the pack. It’s harder for even two judges to watch for place stealing at shows this size though, but that is where all of you come in.
Good Sportsmanship in the Dairy Ring
We should all do better to display good sportsmanship in the ring. If a kid can’t get their animal to move or isn’t sure where to go, help them. You don’t have to go completely out of your way to help them by stopping the focus on your cow, but you can point them in the right direction when the judge isn’t looking and keep your cow looking its best at the same time.
Another big thing that we all need to be better about in the showing community is stealing placings. At the Spring Show, we attended earlier this year, I watched a woman steal 4 placings from kids when the judge wasn’t looking. She was even confronted by one of the kids and still cut him in line. 4 extra placings at the bottom of the pack of over 20 is not worth it. Don’t be the reason kids lose interest in showing.
If you see someone stealing a placing, speak up. Especially if it is from a kid, tell the kid to push their way into line where they belong. Congratulate people on their placings and remember to celebrate your own winnings too. Showing should be fun for everyone.
Tri-County Holstein Show 2024
I look forward to what the Tri-County Holstein Show has to offer in 2024. I’m sure the competition will be steep, and I hope the judge they acquire next year is as thorough, consistent, and fun as David Crack was. I also hope that I see just as much good sportsmanship next year as I did this year from those inside and outside the ring.
Lila Nolan is a dairy farmer in White Creek, NY who works at Morning Ag Clips. She avidly attends dairy shows and draws from those experiences to write about the Udder Chaos that occurs.
