Junior Showmanship DCA 2023

Smiling with Pride As We Watched Our Next Generation

By Melissa Heymann, DCA Juniors Chair

This year, we welcomed a great group of 6 Juniors (ranging in age from 9 – 17 yrs old) to our 2023 DCA Nationals shows and Junior Showmanship competition. It was clear that they had been well coached and mentored throughout the year as their handling skills, professional attire, ring presence, and sportsmanship glowed every time they entered the ring. Spectators, parents and friends are still smiling with pride just thinking about their youngsters at the beginning of their show careers.

To make DCA Week extra fun, we held a DCA Scavenger Hunt Bingo activity for the Juniors to participate in. Each Junior was given a sheet with a Bingo Board on it that had different facts that the Juniors were supposed to search for during the DCA Breeders Showcase. Some of the items could be found in the Illustrated Standard of the Dachshund. Others required talking to breeders and exhibitors during the Showcase. For example: Find a person who has bred all 3 coats of dachshunds and have them sign their name on your Bingo sheet. The Juniors were encouraged to work together to find the answers, and answers were checked by the DCA Juniors Chair at the end of the activity to receive a prize.

Even though our Juniors only needed one Bingo, they all opted to fill out their entire sheet.

Everyone seemed to have a blast getting to know each other and the long time breeders and exhibitors of the sport.

After completing the activity, some Juniors opted to participate in the Handling Clinic put on by Maddie and Adam Peterson. Just goes to show how eager they are to keep learning, especially from those who have perfected show ring skills.

Please join us in congratulating this year’s Junior Showmanship competition winners as well as all those who made the journey to St Louis for a week of showing their favorite dogs!

Best Junior Handler: Samantha Elliott, showing GCH Kadell’s Etched N’ Bronze W

Best Reserve Junior Handler: Samantha Swanstrom, showing Frezi Is Strani Grez