We caught up with Kenna Cooley, the exhibitor the Grand Champion Wether Dam Doe at the 2024 American Royal. Learn a little more about Kenna below!
If you had to use one word to describe the people supporting you, what would it be?
FAMILY….the time spent together, the good, the bad and the ugly…the people supporting me have become like family to me. I’ve met people through showing that I would never have had the chance to meet and these are people who will always be a part of my life.
What was something that you have had to overcome as a showman to get to where you are now?
I recently started college and live about 2 hours from home. It was really scary rolling into a show season and not being at home EVERY single day with my animals. I made the choice to show one last year and made the the 2-hour drive 2-3x a week to work with my animals at home.
If you could pick any animal you’ve ever had to be on your show string your whole show career, what animal would it be? Why?
Oh this is a tough one! I have been blessed to show so many good animals over the course of my career. Pistol Penny who won the doe show at Louisville and Denver tops the list, along with Mary Jane who just won the American Royal. A close follow-up would have to be my wether who was Reserve Overall at the American Royal in 2022. I love every animal I have shown, for a lot of different reasons.
If you had to pick a favorite judge, who would it be and why?
Wow…this is a tough one…there are so many elite livestock judges in this industry. I can’t say I have a particular favorite, but now as a part of the Butler livestock judging team, I can say I have a huge appreciation for all judges who really evaluate livestock top to bottom, from structure, look, handle, genuiness and overall quality.
If you could pick another species to show, what would it be? Why?
This is a good question….as I have always focused only on goats. Now that I have started my judging career and had a chance to study other species, I’d have to say I’d love to show a big juicy steer!
How do you want to impact the livestock industry?
I hope that kids can look at my career and see that you CAN start from the bottom and work your way up. I started out hoping to not end up last in class and have had the honor of winning some big shows. I’d like to mentor kids starting out and help those who are currently in my old shoes work their way to the top. I am also hopeful to be out in the ring judging some shows in the future!
