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Sierra Nauman
Where did it all really begin for you?
That is one hard to do—to think back to when it really began—because I grew up in it. I have memories catching goats in what we called the garden, which is not there anymore, but it literally was the garden. I remember driving to our pig barn, which was out on 87 right across Comanche Creek, before we even had a pig barn at our house. I remember driving out there and feeding hogs.
So when it really began is very hard for me to pinpoint, but I would say when it started to make sense to me what we were doing and kind of the concept behind it was about when Chama started showing at majors. Before that, when it was just at the county, I don’t really remember her showing specifically there or anything.
I remember 2004 when she showed the first time around, and I remember that was the first time I had a goat and felt like that was my goat. He was my goat, even though she showed him. So I would say 2004—that was when I was mixing the goat feed in the garage, and I fed the goat and she fed the other stuff, and her goat went to Houston and I cried.
What did your county show experience give you that still impacts how you operate today?
Namely, I would say confidence. We did not always do good at the county show. There were a lot of years our county show was very competitive, especially in sheep, and there were many years we’d be like fifth out of seven or something, and you really feel like you didn’t do very well.
But I would say the confidence of being able to go in a ring, do what you need to do, overcome if you don’t reach the goals that you wanted to reach, and relish the success when you did—that is still very much a key factor in how I operate today, both in my business and in my personal life, like with my own kids.
When you compare county shows to majors, how are they different and how are they the same?
I think for a lot of people—and probably me, especially in the beginning of my show career—a major just seemed harder, seemed out of reach. Because there were more numbers, it seemed like it was automatically tougher to go and be competitive.
Looking back now, I can say our county show was very competitive in some areas. In others, you know, we had 10 or 12 steers, so that obviously wasn’t near like what you would see in a major.
The similarities, I would say, are the people and the lessons that you learn. It doesn’t matter if you’re showing at majors or if you’re showing at the county fair—you can still learn responsibility, hard work, perseverance, and all the good things without having to compete at major shows or at a super high level.
You can still achieve the same end goal of becoming a better person or raising a better human.
Did your county roots prepare you for the pressure and competition at the highest level? If so, how?
I mean, obviously it did. I was able to perform at the highest level and not crack. But in the beginning, I don’t think you realize that’s what you’re learning at the county show level.
Once you get to the major, and having been through the county level enough times, it seems second nature. You know the process.
Having competed against other families that were at our level or higher at the county level prepared us. There were lots of other families from Mason County that would go and win major shows or win breeds and be very successful.
If you were fifth in class with the final sheep, you might have been doing pretty good. If you didn’t have that competition at the county level, I don’t think you would be able to appreciate your success at the majors either.
I also think the county fair is really the only way to prepare for something bigger. Jackpots are just practice. A county fair has an end goal—making the sale, getting a return, and earning the opportunity to keep going.
When there’s more at stake, people work harder and prepare better.
Do you think there’s pressure, chatter, or criticism at both levels?
Both
If you’re successful anywhere, people are going to talk about you—county show or major show. You win at the county level, especially if you haven’t won before, and you upset someone else’s streak, people are going to talk, and they’re going to be mad about it.
At major shows, the same thing happens. There’s chatter at both levels. At the county level, I would say sometimes it’s more petty—rules, fairness, things like that.
But regardless, if you’re successful, people are going to have something to say.
Now that your kids are getting started, what matters most to you about their early years in the ring?
I can assure you it is not results. It has nothing to do with collecting banners that are going to collect dust.
It is strictly about them developing into good young men.
If they grow up to be confident, capable, and driven, and know how to set a goal, know how to win and be gracious, and know how to lose and be gracious—that will matter a lot more to me than anything else.
At the end of the day, it’s not about what they win. It’s about who they become.
If you could go back and talk to your younger self at the county show, what would you say?
Just keep going. Keep showing up. Keep working at it.
Whether you feel like you’ve won grand and you’re at the top, you better keep your head down because somebody is coming for you. And when you don’t reach the goal you wanted, you still have to keep showing up.
There’s a lot of people that would say cut your losses and move on, but if you don’t keep going, you never know what you can accomplish.
In the end, it was clearly all worth it.
Anything else you feel called to share?
It doesn’t matter where you are—county fairs are very much the lifeblood of the show industry. They matter just as much as any major.
For some people, the county show is just a starting point. For others, it’s everything—and that can still spark enough interest and desire to shape what they do for the rest of their lives.
I’ve seen kids who never had the means to go to a major become very successful people. They learned responsibility, work ethic, and life skills through showing at the county level.
County shows are important.