Siblings dominate showmanship

BRODHEAD, Wis. – When the Zimmerman family first began exhibiting and focusing on showmanship, they had no idea how far their dedication would take them. Years later, all three siblings have earned a spot in the final round to compete for the Annette Ostrom Memorial Supreme Showman title at World Dairy Expo in Madison.

This year, Will (William) Zimmerman took home the 2025 supreme showman title. His youngest sister, Paige, placed second in the junior division last year, earning a spot in the finals. The oldest sibling, Kennedy, was the reserve supreme champion in 2023.

“I remember pulling out into the final line-up just shaking,” Kennedy said. “I was like, ‘This is not real. I cannot be winning this right now.’’’

For Paige, the excitement came from her competitive spirit beating her brother Will in 2024.

“I was super excited because I beat all the 13-year-olds, the older kids in that division,” Paige said.

Will remembers getting nervous this year going into the final round, the first time in a few years that he felt that way during showmanship.

“After I got it, I realized I’m the youngest person (to have received the honor),” he said. “It’s been the seniors, and I’m the only intermediate ever to do it. So, that was probably the coolest thing for me.”

Since moving from California to Wisconsin in 2010, parents Hilary and Paul have made showmanship a family priority. From late April until typically World Dairy Expo in October, the kids spend up to eight hours a day on the farm, from working with their show herd to helping with tasks around the 1,800-cow farm at Spring Grove Dairy. A special pen is reserved for their animals, where they are responsible for feeding and cleaning.

Early on, Hilary and Paul encouraged the kids to practice daily, walking laps around the barn.

“We’ve taught them all the things, and we used to have to give them reminders….and now it’s just sending them in,” Hilary said. “They know what to do. We don’t need to remind them of anything.”

Paul recalled being overcome with emotion when their oldest daughter first made it to the finals at Expo.

“Up until that point, we really thought we’re just kind of messing around, (thinking) we don’t belong here,” he said. “You see all these kids who have done it forever and these big names, and you think like we’ll always watch them, we’ll never be up there with them.”

Now, the Zimmerman children are competing at a high level.

For Kennedy, 2023 marked her second time showing at Expo and her first year with her own heifer, Georgia. Hilary said Paige set a goal to make the finals, and she did just that.

“The showing thing was never really planned,” Hilary said “We were just going to show at the county fair. Then, the kids fell in love with it. Through their love of showing, I feel like Paul and I have fallen in love with it even more, and it’s become this really cool family thing that we do for like five to six months of the year. I love that part of it; that we get to do it all together.”

The siblings practice side by side often and share a competitive spirit. On the farm, they line up together, similar to what they do in the show ring, among the distractions of their dog, Lola, and tractor and equipment noises.

Calmness and focus were cited as qualities the siblings share.

“Will never gets nervous before a show (for showmanship),” Kennedy said. “Paige is just super smooth on the halter, and she’s very attentive in the ring.”

Will said Paige is a bit more attentive than he is, and  Kennedy always seems to have a lot better head carriage on her animals than he does.

“I think it’s just she puts in a lot more walking miles at home than I do,” he said.

After Will won at Expo, he returned to school that week and, to his surprise, people outside the show world saw he had won. Many of his school administrators, teachers and classmates congratulated him, and at his football game on Tuesday in between plays, he had kids from the other team yell out, “Congratulations, Will!” It almost made him feel like a celebrity, he said.

Similarly, Kennedy also has a busy schedule between volleyball, dance and music in the fall. Yet, Expo is something she looks forward to.

“Balancing is kind of hard,” she said. “It’s a lot of stuff, (then) getting home late and having to go feed (our show herd) is hard, but it’s worth it.”  “The reason I keep showing is because it’s probably my favorite thing and something I can always feel successful in. I feel that, even if I lose, I don’t feel like I lost because I’ll always have another show I can go to and push myself more.”

That is where siblings come into play, helping manage the daily responsibilities that come with showing cattle.

“A way we balance it is if one kid’s free that night, then they have to feed, and then you have to feed the next night,” Paige said.

Meeting kids from around the country with a similar background is one of Paige’s  favorite parts of showing.

“I just love the people,” she said.

Will echoed that sentiment, now having friends from many different states, as far as California and Texas.

Their parents agreed, with Hilary noting that you get to be the sole determiner in showmanship and showing cattle.

“It gives you the opportunity to kind of create your own destiny,” Paul said.

The Zimmerman siblings are not done showing yet. They will wrap up their season by bringing their cattle for the first time to the North American International Livestock Exposition, happening through Nov. 8.

“At Expo, not only did we do well in showmanship, but our heifers did really well,” Kennedy said. “We placed the highest we ever have, and we needed (to go to) another show.”