Catching the Bug – Why Shearing Competitions Matter

You can smell it in the air again – that mix of lanolin, sweat, and freshly shorn sheep. The shearing competitions are back for another season, and whether you’re a seasoned open-grade legend or a first-time novice just trying to keep your nerves (and comb) steady, there’s something about competition that hooks you right in.

And once you catch the bug… you’re done for. In the best possible way.

Sharpening the Trade

Competitions arent just about ribbons or trophies – they're about pride, precision, and progress. Every sheep is judged, every blow watched, every second cut counted. There’s no hiding behind speed or bravado.

When you start competing, you learn to fine-tune. Your job gets cleaner. Your gear gets sharper. You begin to understand the rhythm between smoothness and speed. You learn that every sheep you shear, or every fleece you handle deserves your best shot — not just for the points, but because that’s what being a professional means.

Then you take that same focus back to the shed. Suddenly, you’re thinking about your technique, your handpiece setup, even where your feet are. You notice your sheep coming off tidier, your fleece looking better, and your confidence lifting.

Competitions raise the bar — not just for you, but for everyone working around you. That pride, that polish, that standard rubs off fast.

Fitness, Focus, and Fire

If you want to compete well, you’ve got to prepare well. There’s no shortcut to success. Competition pushes you to look after yourself — to fuel your body, train your muscles, and sharpen your head.

You start thinking about:

• Eating better — because pies and V aren’t a performance diet.

• Training smarter — a few runs, a few stretches, maybe even a gym session.

• Resting properly — because a tired athlete is a sloppy athlete.

• Staying sober until after the event — because professionalism beats “liquid confidence” every time.

The social side of the shows is a huge part of the fun, but it can also trip you up. We’ve all seen it — someone smashing a couple of nervous stubbies before stepping up. It might seem harmless, but it can undo months of training and respect in a single go.

Save it for after the job’s done. You’ll shear better, feel prouder, and earn that beer properly. You’re representing your crew, your contractor, and the industry — so show the next generation how it’s done right.

Competitions teach you mental toughness too. You learn to breathe through the nerves, focus under pressure, and control that fire in your gut. That’s not just competition skill — that’s life skill.

From Novice to Open – Everyone Starts Somewhere

Every Open champion once stood in that Novice or Junior ring, nervous as hell, hoping their comb & cutter are on properly and their sheep would cooperate. We’ve all been there — shaky hands, sweaty palms, mates in the crowd heckling (or helping, depending on the mate).

But here’s the thing — you get better every week. You watch, you learn, you try again. You start to feel the rhythm, the balance, the control.

There’s no fast track to the top, just time, effort, and a willingness to fail a few times along the way. And that’s fine. That’s how careers and stars are built — one show, one sheep, one lesson at a time.

Always Learning – The Best Never Stop

Even the big guns, the household names of the sport, are still learning every time they step onto the board. That’s what keeps them at the top.

The knowledge floating around a show is worth more than any prize money. The advice you’ll get from the best in the business is pure gold — if you’re willing to ask for it.

Don’t be shy. Have a yarn. Ask questions. Soak it all up like a sponge. Most of the top shearers and wool handlers are more than happy to share their knowledge — unless they’re about to go up for the Golden Shears final, in which case, maybe give them five minutes’ peace.

This year’s going to be awesome, with the World Championships right here in New Zealand at the Golden Shears. The best from around the globe are heading our way to try and knock the Kiwis off on home turf. The standard is going to be unreal, and that energy will ripple through every competition across the country.

If there’s ever a year to get involved — this is it.

The Unsung Heroes – Volunteers, Farmers, and Sponsors

Behind every great competition is a group of absolute legends who make it all happen.

There’s the committee who plan, chase funding, sort entries, set the halls up, and make sure everything runs like clockwork.

The crew who set up pens, unload trucks, run sheep, and clean up when everyone else is already heading home.

The farmers who provide the sheep — the right type, in good order, and on time — even when they’ve got a farm full of their own jobs to do.

The judges, giving up their weekends to score every blow, every fleece, every point — not for the money, but for the love of the game.

And let’s not forget the kitchen team, feeding the whole bloody army from dawn to dusk.

Prize money doesn’t come out of thin air either. It comes from local sponsors — the businesses and good sorts who dig deep to keep this sport alive.

Competitors need to remember that a shearing show isn’t just about turning up and shearing a few sheep. It’s a full community effort. So if you’re lucky enough to grab a ribbon or a prize cheque, start your victory speech by thanking these people.

They’re the reason the lights are on and the sheep are waiting.

Without them — there’s no show.

More Than a Sport – The Mental Health Boost

There’s another side to this too. Competition life isn’t just good for your shearing — it’s bloody good for your head.

This job can be tough. Long hours, early mornings, isolation, stress, pressure, travel — it can get on top of you. But heading off to a show gives you something to look forward to, something that fills your cup instead of draining it.

Here’s why:

• You get out of the house – away from routine, into a crowd that understands your world.

• You reconnect with mates – some old, some new, all sharing the same passion.

• You find purpose – training for something, improving, setting goals.

• You rebuild confidence – when you’re proud of your effort, it shows.

• You remember why you love it – that buzz, that challenge, that roar from the crowd.

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We talk a lot about mental health these days, but sometimes the best medicine is simply doing something you love with good people around you.

A weekend away shearing, wool handling, or even just watching and supporting mates at a show can do wonders for your mindset. It resets you, recharges you, and reminds you that you’re part of something bigger than just the next day or tally.

Lifting the Industry Together

Every competition is a showcase of skill, pride, and professionalism — and it’s what keeps our industry sharp. When the stands light up and the crowd roars, that’s not just sport. It’s a live advertisement for the shearing world — a world that still runs on hard work, craft, and pride.

For plenty of people outside our bubble, competitions are the only glimpse they ever get of what we do. They see the speed, the accuracy, the teamwork, and the respect between competitors. They see an industry that values skill, animal welfare, and pride in workmanship — not the outdated stereotypes they might’ve heard.

That’s powerful stuff. It’s how we attract new people to the trade — the next generation who see those boards shining under the lights and think, “Yeah, I want to do that.”

But let’s be clear — competitions aren’t the only measure of greatness. There are so many everyday grafters out there who might never step onto a show board but still shear, press, or handle wool with absolute class day in, day out.

These are the quiet professionals — the ones who turn up early, leave late, and keep the sheds humming. They don’t always chase ribbons, but their work ethic, pride, and skill levels are right up there with the best. And often, these are the people you can learn the most from. Watching how they move, what gear they use, how they look after themselves — that’s pure gold for anyone wanting to lift their game.

Competitions and daily grind go hand in hand. One sharpens the other. When competitors take what they’ve learnt on the competition boards back into the sheds, it lifts the standard across the whole industry. And when the everyday shed legends pass on their wisdom to the next crop of up-and-comers, it keeps that standard grounded and real.

That’s the beauty of it — everyone’s got something to give, and when we share it, the whole industry wins.

So if you’ve been thinking about giving it a crack – do it.

Start small. Enter one show. Have a go. You’ll walk away with more than a ribbon — you’ll walk away a better shearer, a better mate, and a better version of yourself.

There’s something special about hearing a comentator saying "competitors set....GO", the crowd cheering, and knowing that everyone there understands exactly what it takes to do what you do.

That’s the shearing bug — and it’s bloody contagious.