Keeping their heads low, mother and son crouched down as they scurried beneath the dozens of lamb and hog carcasses hanging from the ceiling. It was just above freezing in the cooler, but they didn't notice the chill. They were in search of No. 108, once known as Sparky on the Wyszynski farm.

A half-hour earlier, Russ Johnson, who graduated with a meat science degree from Oklahoma State University, stood inside Kiko Meats in Paris Township and named Tim Wyszynski's steer the Portage County Randolph Fair grand champion carcass.

That's a big deal and usually means a chunk of change for the honoree. Though Tim was too modest to admit it, others said the 17-year-old was the guy to beat.

As Johnson was naming the winner, Tim and his mom, Debbie, were stuck in traffic. They missed the announcement and the judge's demonstration, using another 4-H member's steer.

``Marbling makes it a better grade because of flavor and tenderness,'' he said, pointing to a hanging carcass that had been moved from the cooler to a room that smelled of cleaning solution and blood. Marbling, he went on, is small flecks of fat within the muscle.

= [100.0]When Tim and Debbie finally arrived, they hurried to the front door of the facility. But before they crossed the threshold, someone told Tim that he was the winner.

``It's right here!'' Tim called to his mom when he found the 802-pound hanging carcass (that's the weight after things like the head, tail, internal organs and hide have been removed).

Rearing the winning steer is a great accomplishment. And having it from birth, as the Wyszynskis did with Sparky, rather than having bought it as a calf, merely adds to the sense of pride.

The carcass judging, which also took into consideration how well Tim kept notes of what he fed the animal and other information, took place the week before the start of the Portage County Fair last month.

The 4-H members work about a year caring for their steers. It takes less time to raise other market animals, such as hogs. But, regardless of the animal, the youngsters work toward one goal -- going to the annual fair.

There isn't much talk at the fair about things like Xboxes; instead conversations focus on the animals, where to buy a calf and the breeding of next year's stock. Oh sure, there are occasional discussions about the opposite sex. After all, many of these kids are teenagers.

Though it's a terminal fair, meaning the animals Tim brought (a steer and two hogs) are sold for slaughter, it's still important that the children know how to lead the animals around a ring and make them look their best.

Before an event in which he, or one of his animals, is being judged, Tim settles into what others refer to as his ``zone.'' It's a time when he talks to no one -- and, generally, no one, including his parents, talks to him. Just like a quarterback before a big game, he's concentrating on what he needs to do and how he needs to do it.

Before the steer showmanship competition, in which the cattle are groomed and led around the ring, Tim, along with his fellow 4-H friends, washed their animals. Some kids were so small, it was difficult to see them above their 1,200-pound beasts.

They dried their animals with machines that looked like portable vacuum cleaners. And they used shears to make the cows look broad in the rear with legs that resembled tree stumps.

It was a cool night and the steers were rambunctious. The cattle often pulled away, sometimes knocking those less experienced than Tim to the ground. While some in the audience were concerned, the youngsters giggled at the animals' shenanigans.

Tim, a senior at Southeast High School who wants to be a veterinarian specializing in farm animals and horses, didn't do as well as he would have liked in the showmanship portion of the competition. It was a surprise given that he took outstanding market exhibitor, an honor that goes to the best all-around junior fair member including showmanship and market judging, at the Ohio State Fair about a week earlier.

While showmanship is fun to watch, it's really about the prestige bestowed on the member who wins. The market competition, in which judges grade the quality of the animal and select a grand and reserve champion, is what earns the money.

Grand and reserve champions generally raise the most money. For example, Tim's 284-pound hog, which was judged reserve market champion, brought him $8 a pound, while his other one sold for $2.10 per pound. His live, 1,214-pound steer, J.J., brought a high bid of $1.45 a pound.

During the carcass bidding, Tim entered the ring and carried a banner recognizing him for raising the grand champion carcass steer. He wore a huge smile and sported dimples as deep as a coin slot on a vending machine.

Tim, who works for a feed store, made more than $9,000 from the animals he sold at the Portage County Fair. For some members, it wasn't nearly that profitable. Since Sparky was born on the Wyszynski farm in southeast Portage County, that saved Tim money he would have spent buying a calf.

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