Last month during the California State Fair, 13-year-old Taite Strohmenger of Los Banos was one of the two County Fair Best of Show Master Showmanship Competition winners on July 13.
This award is one of high prestige, as it’s given at the state level and is only eligible for the best of the best. In fact, Taite’s journey to receiving such an award proves just how deserving she is of it.
Beyond her passion for showing, Taite’s greatest advantage comes from her years of training. At only four years old, she started out in PeeWee Showmanship, showing sheep and goats — and she hasn’t slowed down since. She currently represents the Our Lady of Fatima School’s 4-H club, following in the footsteps of her older brother, Ty Strohmenger, who joined 4-H when he was nine and later went on to show for Pacheco High School’s FFA club.
To qualify for the California State Fair competition, Taite had to win a series of competitions beforehand.
“It started at the Merced County Spring Fair where I won Intermediate Sheep Showmanship, and then I advanced to Seniors and won that,” Taite said. “And then I ended up qualifying for the Round Robin at the Spring Fair, and that’s how I qualified to go to the State Fair.”
The California State Fair chooses competitors from the 4-H and FFA divisions who win their division’s Senior Showmanship, also referred to as the Senior Round Robin. This year, Taite’s winning counterpart was FFA member Luis Gonzalez.
In preparation for the State Fair competition, Taite also competed in Round Robin at the Chowchilla Fair, the Merced Fair, and the San Diego County Fair — winning first place in Merced and San Diego, and second in Chowchilla.
Taite said, “I think what sets me apart is how long I’ve been doing it and how much practice I put in the barn… probably like three hours a day, every day, but it does feel like eight hours.”
While 4-H has certainly supported Taite’s growth, her hard work can be largely attributed to her natural drive and leadership.
Her mother, Aimee Strohmenger — an agriculture teacher at Pacheco High School — described feeling immense pride for her daughter when she saw her win the California State Fair award.
“Seeing her competing against the top kids, especially kids who are 17, 18, 19 years old, and then prevailing is so rewarding since this was a goal that she set for herself,” Aimee said. “She said ‘I want to win Round Robin and I want to go to County’s Best and I want to win,’ and she didn’t waver; she went up there and did what she set out to do.”
Aimee’s advice for parents with kids who are in 4-H or are considering joining is that they have to feed their child’s passion.
“If they have a goal, find people that are willing to help you achieve those goals,” she said, “and the best way to get better is to put your kid in the ring and give them the opportunity to grow.”
