CCNF at *THE* Showtacular!
So…about those show results from the combined Empire Alpaca Extravaganza and NEAOBA Fall Alpaca Show (hands down winner of the award for most utilitarian show name, BTW, perhaps a reaction to its previous incarnation when it was know as the Green Mountain Alpaca Fall Spectacular?), that together formed our new favorite show weekend, AKA, The Showtacular?
We brought 25 animals with us this time around, which give or take a few, has generally been the size of our fall show strings for the past 5 years or so. Normally that’s a fully doable number with 4 handlers (Jen, myself, and our two boys) at a single show, though we knew that Saturday, when the shows were going to be running simultaneously (meaning 4 rings at once), would inevitably get silly. Thankfully, our friends Sue and Vinny had announced some weeks ahead of time that they were going to come and hang out for the weekend so that we could all have some fun together and Sue could get her alpaca fix! That gave us at least gave us 2 other helpers we could call on on that day of chaos. In the end it wasn’t too bad, actually. Once Max and I got through lights (beiges and light fawns) on the Empire side of the curtain and Jen and Sam got through the browns on the NEAOBA side of things (with Sue showing in whichever show/ring she was needed, bless her heart), it was all relatively smooth sailing that day.
But how’d we do? It is a measure of our raised expectations for ourselves — and let’s be clear: also a real credit to the quality of the OTHER breeders and their alpacas at these shows — that we could come back from a weekend such as that with 15 banners and not feel fully satisfied. All in all, we could have no real complaints though. CCNF Elixir (whom we co own with our friends at A Paca Fun Farm – it was in fact Bari Padgett’s diligent handiwork entering his RC-winning fleece in the Empire show) and his kids continued their rather extended coming out party that really began in earnest back in June at the AOA National Fleece Show. The funny thing about Elixir, of course, is that prior to 2014, we here in Vermont had not bred him to color yet. More on that in the spring of 2016 though…We also took great satisfaction that some of the blood of our old guard reasserted itself in Syracuse: both of our two best light/white females, CCNF Caipirinha and CCNF Khione, were born to SuperNova daughters. In the case of the latter, her mom, Prestige, holds the distinction of in fact being the last cria ever sired by our talismanic, founding Herdsire. Trust me when I say that 18+ years into this little rodeo of ours, it’s the things like that — having a real history and connection with various members of our herd — that keeps us jazzed up and pushing forward.
A (somewhat) brief aside regarding the nature of alpaca shows and show results. There was a little teeth-gnashing in Syracuse from exhibitors about some of the placements being radically different from one show to the other. While it can be a little disheartening if an animal that did well in one show, doesn’t repeat that performance the next day (or in this case, even just an hour or two later), one needs to understand that there is ultimately a certain level of subjectivity when placing alpacas in a show ring. The simple fact is that very few judges see things exactly the same way as their colleagues. Thank goodness too. A homogeneous show world would be rather dull, don’t you think? Combine that with the fact that animals and their fleeces have good days and bad, and it’s pretty easy to imagine why many placements might vary, at least somewhat, from one judge to another. We’ve seen our animals’ placements change many times over the years from one show to the next, often times in front of judges whom we hold in equally high regard. I understand that in Syracuse it was all perhaps a bit more psychologically whip-lashy to have results be significantly different just 24 hours apart, but what can you do really? Our MO has always been to try to bring an animal into the show ring that we can feel proud of and just keep on smiling (yes, it is of course easier to do when one is doing well). Showing is marketing, first and foremost an exercise in public relations after all. I’ve found over the years that I’ve always been left with a far more positive impression of those breeders that seemed to be enjoying themselves at any given event and that regardless of whether they won blues, banners, or Judges’ Choice Awards, etc…or not in any given class, you knew above all that they were there showing some amazing alpacas. You really can’t win them all after all (plus, it would be kind of fascist) and it is, lest we forget, as wise woman Anne Fiore once famously pointed out years ago, just a piece of friggin’ nylon! 🙂
Cas-Cad-Nac Farm LLC – Championships, Specialty Awards, & 1st Place Finishes, The Showtacular, Syracuse, NY
Empire Alpaca Extravaganza
HALTER
CCNF Compass Rose (CCNF Annabeth x CCNF Wayfarer) – 1st Place, Grey 2 Year Old Huacaya Female
CCNF Let Freedom Rule (TGF Let Freedom Ring x Snowmass Conopa’s Kahuna) – 1st Place, Medium Brown Yearling Huacaya Male
CCNF Luna Majesty (CCNF Moonlight x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Light Brown Yearling Huacaya Female
MFI & KVR’s Fila My Fleece (KVR’s Prada My Fleece x MFI Peruvian Presumption) – 1st Place, Dark Fawn Yearling Huacaya Female
CCNF Intervention (CCNF Confectious x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Place Medium Fawn Yearling Huacaya Male
CCNF Caipirinha (CCNF Questra x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Beige Yearling Huacaya Female
CCNF Spittfire (CCNF The Mighty Beast Alexandra x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Beige Yearling Huacaya Male
CCNF Quadratic (CCNF Infinity x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Beige Yearling Huacaya Male
CCNF Khione (CCNF Prestige x Snowmass Sub-Zero) – 1st Place, White Juvenile Huacaya Female
CCNF Primus (CCNF Pristine x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, White Yearling Huacaya Male
CCNF Sucrose (CCNF Sugar Drop x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, White 2 Year Old Huacaya Male
CCNF Pret-A-Porter (FRE Elxir’s Fashionably Late x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Dark Yearling Huacaya Female
CCNF Mirror Image (CCNF Consolation x Snowmass Conopa’s Kahuna) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Dark Yearling Huacaya Male
MFI & KVR’s Fila My Fleece – Champion Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Caipirinha – Champion Light Huacaya Female
CCNF Sucrose – Champion White Huacaya Male
CCNF Khione – Reserve Champion White Huacaya Female
CCNF Mirror Image – Best Bred & Owned Huacaya Male
CCNF Elixir – 1st Place, Huacaya Get-of-Sire
Cas-Cad-Nac Farm LLC – 1st Place, Breeders’ Best 3
FLEECE SHOW
CCNF Magistrate (SHRA Virtual’s Reality x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, 2 Year Old Brown Huacaya
CCNF Prima (CCNF Bellarina x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, 2 Year Old Fawn Huacaya
CCNF Tigerlily (CCNF Jasmine x Snowmass Conopa’s Kahuna) – 1st Place, Fawn Juvenile Huacaya
CCNF Intervention (CCNF Confectious x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Fawn Juvenile Huacaya
CCNF Mechlin (Delicate Lace x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, Light Yearling Huacaya
CCNF Quadratic (CCNF Infinity x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Light Juvenile Huacaya
CCNF Elixir (CCNF Ascension x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, Light Adult Huacaya
CCNF Antares (CCNF Capella x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, White Juvenile Huacaya
CCNF Sucrose (CCNF Sugar Drop x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, Yearling White Huacaya
CCNF Centurion (CCNF Ascension x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, 2 Year Old White Huacaya
CCNF Defiance (Xanadu P. Cadenza x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, Adult White Huacaya
CCNF Dropshot (CCNF Droplet x CCNF Elixir) – Best Hand
CCNF Antares – Best Brightness
CCNF Sucrose – Best Crimp
CCNF Prima – Reserve Champion Fawn Huacaya
CCNF Elixir – Reserve Champion Light Huacaya
CCNF Centurion – Reserve Champion White Huacaya
CCNF Antares – Champion White Huacaya
CCNF Antares – Judges’ Choice Huacaya
NEAOBA Fall Alpaca Show
CCNF Compass Rose (CCNF Annabeth x CCNF Wayfarer) – 1st Place, Grey 2 Year Old Huacaya Female
CCNF Intervention (CCNF Confectious x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Place Medium Fawn Yearling Huacaya Male
MFI & KVR’s Fila My Fleece (KVR’s Prada My Fleece x MFI Peruvian Presumption) – 1st Place, Dark Fawn Yearling Huacaya Female
CCNF Quadratic (CCNF Infinity x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Beige Yearling Huacaya Male
CCNF Caipirinha (CCNF Questra x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Beige Yearling Huacaya Female
CCNF Khione (CCNF Prestige x Snowmass Sub-Zero) – 1st Place, White Juvenile Huacaya Female
CCNF True Adoration (Truly Scrumptious x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, White Yearling Huacaya Female
CCNF Pret-A-Porter (FRE Elxir’s Fashionably Late x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Dark Yearling Huacaya Female
CCNF Mirror Image (CCNF Consolation x Snowmass Conopa’s Kahuna) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Dark Yearling Huacaya Male
CCNF Infinite Patience (CCNF Infinite Grace x Snowmass Sub Zero) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Light Yearling Huacaya Female
MFI & KVR’s Fila My Fleece – Champion Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Caipirinha – Champion Light Huacaya Female
CCNF Quadratic – Reserve Champion Light Huacaya Male
CCNF Khione – Reserve Champion White Huacaya Female
CCNF Pret-A-Porter – Best Bred & Owned Huacaya Female
Snowmass Matrix Majesty – 1st Place Huacaya Get of Sire
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