Back When I was(wow that makes me sound old!) In college I was on the meat judging team. I was signing up for my sophomore year classes I had never heard of meat judging until I was looking at the Animal Science class list. I was interested in being on one of the collegiate judging teams, and meat judging caught my eye.
Well I didnt know what to expect, I was full of excitement and self-doubt at the same time. The first class session I got there on about 20 mins early all ready to learn about what I got my self into.
I was very shy and pretty much thought talking to anyone that I didnt know was going to kill me! I had participated in horse and livestock judging in my 4-H career and know that this required to give oral reasons. So as I fight back my panic attacks, telling myself I would be fine they sure wont make us give reasons the first day and if they do hopefully not in front of everyone in the room!!!
As I wait there in the class room finally someone else comes in the classroom. A girl, but I dont know her. What do I do? Dont make eye contact or I will have to talk to her! Then what does she do! Comes and sits right next to me and starts talking to me! Oh I couldnt believe it! Her name was Anne, from Maine, and ended up being my best friend!
Anyways the rest of the students show up and I am eager to learn. Our coach had just graduated from Texas A&M with her Batchelor’s and was working on her Masters in Meat Science.
She finally told us about what we were going to learn. How to judge meat – basically learn how to judge beef, pork, and lamb carcasses as well as wholesale cuts. The best part of the intro was when she told us that the reasons were not oral but written! The program consisted of three semesters. The first semester we were the junior team, learning the tricks of the trade, then the following year we were the senior team actually competing in contests.
So over the next semester I made friends with all my judging cohorts, it took about four months till I really started talking with all of them without having a panick attack. It was here that I learned that it was really ok to talk to people and that most are pretty interesting and not to scary to talk to…. looking back I laugh at how silly it was to be so frightened to talk to people.
Anyway getting back on tract. I not only became friends with Anne, but also Missy. She is so funny and cracks me up. She and Anne call me Jenny From the Block. These two are awesome people and friends.
This was our team in the fall of 2004, in Lubbock TX. In 2005 we dropped three people who couldn’t fit the rigorous judging schedule into their own schedule.
Through Missy I meet many people. Through her I met Blaine. Stay tuned for more of the story!
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