Nicole Kelso: Evolution of a local 4-H’er

Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Nicole Kelso and Zeus compete in the dog show at the Vernon County Youth Fair on July 13.
Gabe Franklin | Daily Mail

Once a year, the Vernon County Centennial Fairgrounds come alive; barns are cleaned and animals moved in — horses, sheep, swine, cattle and others — and projects of every shape and size arrive at the Home Ec. Building. For a week in early July, the fairgrounds hum with activity during the Vernon County Youth Fair, the highlight of many 4-H’er’s year and their opportunity to showcase the fruits of their labor.

Said 4-H mom Tracey Kelso about her daughter, “Oh, if she didn’t tell you, fair week is her favorite week of the year!”

Her daughter, 12-year-old Nicole Kelso, has been a 4-H’er for more than five years — this year showing her dog Zeus, along with rabbits, turkeys and exhibiting her photography as well as other arts and crafts. While she earned ribbons in all of her projects, she fell short of the district and state fair finishing up with a reserve grand champion ribbon for one of her New Zealand rabbits.

“One of my best friends was showing rabbits and I really liked them,” Nicole said, explaining how she got started in 4-H. “I started showing rabbits my first year.”

“She wants to show bigger stuff but we really don’t have the room,” her dad Brandon Kelso said.

She said she did well that first year showing her Flemish Giant rabbit, Dude, under the tutelage of older 4-H’ers — Brett Snead, Alex Gast and others. Today, she finds herself passing on the knowledge gifted to her to the younger members of her club and projects.

Brandon said Nicole spends much of her time during the fair in the rabbit barn either tending her rabbits or visiting with the other 4-H’ers.

Looking for other projects, she ventured into turkeys. As to her arts and crafts projects, this year they included a painting of a pig and a board with hooks from which to hang dog leashes so they are not lost.

This year, she branched out into dogs, competing in both the show ring and on the agility course with her Yorkie Zeus.

“I got a blue ribbon in agility, a blue ribbon in showmanship and a red ribbon in obedience,” Nicole said.

She said the agility event was her favorite part of the dog show.

When she isn’t tending her rabbits, or putting Zeus through his paces on the agility course, you might see her behind the lens of a camera taking photographs — Brett Snead’s emu, the fountains in Kansas City and a plethora of other subjects.

She said showing an animal at the fair takes a group effort. Someone forget their apron, someone else forgot their arm guards — both required to show rabbits.

When asked how 4-H has helped her, she responded, “I’m not as scared,” she said about speaking in public. “I used to never want to stand up in front of people, but now I’m fine with it.”

“The process of raising and selling her animals has definitely helped with responsibility, focus and planning for the next year,” Nicole’s mother Tracey Kelso said later. “She wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up, so working with the animals has been really good for her. She always learns something to improve for the next year.”

Brandon said 4-H has boosted Nicole’s confidence and provided a wide variety of experiences. Many of the 4-H’ers she shows alongside have become friends.

“When she was doing air rifle, she was just learning how to shoot,” Brandon said. “It helped having the instructors there to help because I think sometimes kids learn a little better from someone else than they do from me … she’s become a pretty good shot.”

Nicole said one of the more challenging aspects of 4-H’s has been learning to part with her meat animals at auction although she has used the proceeds to buy both her camera and Zeus.

Outside of 4-H, Nicole plays volleyball and is a cheerleader at Nevada Middle School.

In typical 4-H family fashion, her brother Taylor is also a 4-H’er and showed in the dog show alongside his sister.

Nicole said although the fair was only a couple weeks ago, she is already looking forward to the fair next year — but not for school to start.

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