Our Awards in Sheep and Fleece Shows

2020 International Online Virtual Shetland Sheep Shows and Awards


Sheep Show 1: Judged by Jennie Holden Wilde, United Kingdom of Great Britain

Grand Champion/ Best in Show: Our Glen Tamarack Mirabelle, 3 year old musket ewe (Sire: White Pine Agno, Dam: Glen Tamarack Talitha)
Sue Russo Trophy for best spotted or patterned sheep: 1st Place, Glen Tamarack Mirabelle
Small Flock: Second Place (Hoisin, moorit ram lamb, Patacone, Moorit yearling ewe, Harissa, moorit ewe lamb
Youth Exhibitor: First Place, Billy Schwartz, our grandson, showing Glen Tamarack Hoisin, moorit ram lamb, on our farm (Sire: Glen Tamarack Gamgee, Dam: OK Acres Balsam).

Sheep Show 2: Judged by Carol Precious, Canada

Grand Champion/Best Sheep in Show, Our Glen Tamarack Wasabi, Spotted Gray Katmoget Ram Lamb
First Place Lamb, Glen Tamarack Wasabi (Sire: Under the Son Mancera, Dam: Glen Tamarack Winifred)
Second Place Lamb, Glen Tamarack Kimchi, spotted gray katmoget, ewe lamb, Wasabi's twin sister
Sue Russo Trophy for best spotted or patterned sheep, First Place, Glen Tamarack Wasabi
Youth Exhibitor 1st place awarded to Billy Schwartz, our grandson, who helped us train sheep for showing and showed Glen Tamarack Wasabi in Youth Exhibitor Class
See full results for all virtual shows and competitions on Fine Fleece Shetland Sheep Association's Website

Online Fleece Show, judged by Jen and Rich Johnson, New York, USA:

The Best in Show, Grand Champion Fleece was produced by our 3 year old musket ewe, Glen Tamarack Mirabelle. It is such a pleasure to handle both Mirabelle and her fleece!!! We are grateful to Garrett Ramsay for leasing Mirabelle's sire WP Agno to us 4 years ago. Garrett trusted us with Agno when Agno was just a lamb. Agno's daughters and sons born here have all been wonderful Shetlands. Mirabelle is such a friendly, smart ewe and is an excellent mom.

We were blown away by these 2020 show results. See videos of our sheep being shown on my U-Tube Channel, Jeanne Dukerschein. (We followed a show routine provided by FFSSA. I videotaped the sheep we entered at home on our farm while Russ and Billy handled them. Then I submitted the videos for judging.) Thank you to the judges, show chairs and all who worked hard to make these shows and competitions safely happen during the COVID pandemic.

Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, 2019, Jefferson, Wisconsin
Midwest Shetland Sheep Breeders Association Sheep Show

Reserve Champion Ewe, Glen Tamarack Mirabelle, Age 2. Agouti Musket ewe, judged by Shetland Sheep Society Judge Andrew Beal of Scotland,handled by Russ Dukerschein
First Place, Sue Russo Memorial Trophy for best spotted or patterned Shetland Sheep, Glen Tamarack Lefse, Agouti Gray Ram Lamb, Judged by Andrew Beal and handled by Jeanne (Terry) Dukerschein
GT Bilbo, son of our Grand Champion in 2018, (FFSSA Fleece Show, Ames, IA) won Grand Champion in 2019 under Judge Nic Hill, Devon, U.K.
FFSSA Fleece Show Grand Champion, Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival, June 16-17, 2018, UTS Mancera's fleece and Judge Lettie Klein, MI, U.S.A.
FFSSA Sheep Show Reserve Champion Ram, Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival, June 16-17, 2018, UTS Mancera and Judge Sue Watson, Somerset, U.K.

We have been showing our registered Shetland Sheep since 2012 and our sheep/lambs or their fleeces have placed in sheep shows and fleece shows under British, Scottish, and North American judges.  We show mainly to learn to breed better sheep and to stay accountable to the 1927 Breeding Standard established for Shetland Sheep.  We breed to the Appendix A, a revised Version of the 1927 Standard which breeders in Scotland, Shetland Islands, and all of the United Kingdom (U.K.) revised and use because they feel it results in softer, more resilient wool for clothing construction.  Terry hand-spins and makes many items of clothing from our handspun and millspun wool yarns and handmade felts. While each type of Shetland fleece is good for something, she favors the “kindly” (finer, more crimpy,) single-coated fleeces as described by Appendix A of the 1927 Standard.  Showing takes extra effort, but we have made many wonderful friends, have had fun doing it, and continue to learn a great deal about breeding high quality Shetland sheep with high quality fleeces.  Halter-training our sheep to lead during a show makes them more manageable at home, too.  We try to attend 1-2 sheep shows per year and also participate in up to 2 fleece shows per year. An approximate listing follows from the most recent shows, placings and prizes that our sheep and their fleeces (or items Terry made from their fleeces) have earned.  The list is not all-inclusive.

Midwest Shetland Sheep Breeders Association (MSSBA) Show at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, Jefferson, WI, is rapidly becoming one of the largest Shetland Specialty Shows in North America. GT is our abbreviated flock prefix for "Glen Tamarack". Flock prefixes indicate who bred each sheep or lamb. Other flocks we have purchased sheep from include "Under the Son" (UTS), White Pine (WP) OK Acres, and Sheltering Pines (SP). Listing of our show placings by year follows:

Midwest Shetland Sheep Breeders Association (MSSBA) Sheep and Fleece Shows, Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, September 7–9, 2018.

Sheep Judge, Jean Curtis, U.K.

Fleece Judge, Sue Thwaites, U.K.

Yearling Ram 2018, 3rd Place, GT Lancelot; 4th Place UTS Mancera

Pair of Ram Lambs, 2018, 4th Place, GT Gamgee and GT Lo’rien

Best Small Flock, 2018, 3rd Place GT Lancelot, GT Juliana, GT Nina

Sue Russo Memorial Award, Best Spotted, Modified or Colored Sheep 2018, 2nd Place, GT Juliana

FFSSA Sheep and Fleece Shows, Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival, Ames, IA, 6/16-6/17, 2018.

Sheep Judge: Sue Watson, Somerset, U.K.

Fleece Judge:  Lettie Klein, MI, U.S.A.

 

 

 

Reserve Champion Yearling Ram, UTS Mancera

2nd Place Yearling Ram, UTS Mancera and 3rd Place Yearling Ram, WP Leego

3rd Place Yearling Ewe, GT Mirabelle

Grand Champion Fleece, UTS Mancera

First Place Colored Lamb Fleece, UTS Mancera

Second Place Colored Lamb Fleece, GT Thea

Third Place Colored Lamb Fleece, WP Leego

 

 

 MSSBA Show, Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, Sept., 2017, Jefferson, WI.  Judges Susanne Mielke (sheep) and Lettie Klein (Fleeces)

 First Place Senior Ram, Lancien Dundee

Third Place Ram Lamb, GT Lancelot

Second Place Pair of Ram Lambs, GT Lancelot and GT Dagonet

Reserve Champion Ewe, GT Mirabelle

First Place Ewe Lamb, GT Mirabelle

First Place Pair of Ewe Lambs, GT Mirabelle and GT Gussalyn

First Place Dam and Daughter, GT Garnet and GT Gussalyn

First Place Best Small Flock, GT Lancelot, GT Mirabelle, and GT Gussalyn

Second Place Best Fleece on Hoof, GT Lancelot

Second Place Adult Colored Fleece, GT Talitha

MSSBA Show, September, 2016, Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, Judges Leslie Beazer (U.K.), Sheep and Lettie Klein, (USA) Fleece

Second Place Senior Ram, Lancien Dundee

Third Place Ewe Lamb, GT Spicecake

Pair of Ewe Lambs, GT Spicecake, GT Marblecake

Dam and Daughter, S’More Arabesque, GT Spicecake

First Place Best Small Flock, Lancien Dundee, S’More Arabesque, GT Spicecake

Second Place white lamb Fleece, GT Leda

 

Yearling rams, MSSBA 2016 Show. I am in white coat trying to get our yearling ram, GT Jupiter, to behave.
Best Small Flock Class, MSSBA 2016, we are behind Garrett Ramsay, the man standing in the blue shirt
Senior Ram Class Lineup, MSSBA 2016. Erica Solis placed First with Emancipation Bruce and Russ is 2nd with Lancien Dundee. Dundee was bred by our friend Cyndee Wolfe in Ohio. He has been a popular ram with audiences--loves everyone and is now owned by friends Lydia and Jared Strand in Bellingham, Washington still happily making lambs with his assigned ewes...Can't beat his straight, square, level conformation and sweet disposition--he is quite the travelor, too.

Shepherd’s Harvest Fleece Show, Lake Elmo, MN, May, 2016

First place in moorit fine fleece, GT Pffefnuese, Third Place fine Shetland katmoget fleece, GT Spritz fine fleeced fawn katmoget fleece  all-breed fleece show.  Fine fleeced Shetland fleeces were judged separately from other Shetland fleeces. 

FFSSA’s Estes Park Wool Market Fine-fleeced Shetland Sheep and Fleece Show, Estes Park, Colorado, June, 2016

Youth Showmanship, Estes Park, CO, Our grand daughter Sara (Left in white top) earned First Place with GT Venus and our Grand son Billy (Rt. in navy #7) won 3rd Place with GT Garnet.
Grand daughter Megan (right) showed GT Talitha, who later won 2nd place fleece in colored lamb class. GT Ganymede's fleece won 3rd place colored lamb and GT Leda's fleece won 3rd overall in the white fleece class.
Estes Park FFSSA Shetland Show--I have GT Ganymede on the left, Billy has GT Garnet, Megan has GT Talitha, and Sara was showing one of Mike and Kelly Bartels' OK Acres Shetlands for them.

MSSBA Sheep and Fleece Shows, 2012-2015, Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, Jefferson, Wisconsin.There were some ribbons, but usually for yarn or items I made out of our Shetland wool.  I earned some placings on hand spun yarns and a Reserve Champion Rosette on a hat I knit from our handspun, hand-dyed Shetland wool. 

In the MSSBA 2012 “Make It With Shetland” Competition, I earned First Place in “non-wearables” Class for a large basket I designed and knit from our Shetland corespun rug yarn, which I had processed by Blue Hills Fiber Mill, Bruce, WI

In MSSBA 2014 “Make It With Shetland” Competition, I earned Reserve Champion with a  hat I handspun and knit in from our moorit Shetland Wool and our white Shetland wool that I hand-dyed.

I have also placed well in a couple MSSBA Hand-spinning competitions–really like spinning our Shetland! 

GT Adreinne gave us our first fleece blue ribbon with her colored lamb fleece awarded by Judge Gilly Wakefield, UK, in 2014

Wool in this prize-winning skein spun by Cami Basta of Pine City, MN is from the 7th fleece our 8 year old Traditional 1927® ewe, Sheltering Pines Velvet Night. Velvet Night still yielded FFSSA Premium Grade 2  Fine fleeces up through her 7th year (6th fleece) before her midside wool sample graded up to an FFSSA Premium Grade 3 Medium Fine on this 7th fleece in her 8th year of life.  As Senior Members of FFSSA, we have a reputable wool lab micron-test every sheep in our flock annually and we track these stats on every sheep. The skein Cami spun shows beautiful heathering from a mix of age-related gray and black in the fleece. I am planning to knit a sweater from Velvet Night’s 6th Fleece, which I had millspun, blended with about 13% fine faded silver Angora Goatling mohair. Traditional 1927® Shetland sheep and wool often stays fine or medium fine as the sheep ages because these sheep have fewer guard hair follicles. Cami spun this yarn skillfully and with ease; Velvet Night has pearl or spiral crimp which some say is more challenging than conventional crimp to process and spin, but if the spinner just relaxes like Cami does and lets the wool lead the way, yarns spun from sheep with spiral crimp make wonderful woolen yarns that are soft, cushy, and warm. Cami bought some of Velvet Night’s rooed (2018 clip) rovings from us this summer while camping in our area. Conclusion: she made good use of a rainy weekend camping. Congratulations, Cami!!!

Glen Tamarack Lancelot, bred by us and shown by me, MSSBA Shetland Show, Wisconsin, Sept, 2018. Photo by Debra Green

For those wondering about conformation, GT Lancelot, 3rd place yearling ram and anchor of 3rd place “Best Small Flock” in 2018 MSSBA show in Wisconsin,  is a good example of 
“straight legs and standing square on his legs”.  He also has a correct head profile, very straight nose profile, even going into breeding season.  The tiny bump on his nose near his halter line is normal for a ram entering breeding season, but one would not want to see much more of a bump in profile than that, experienced breeders tell me.    Note the excellent width of his chest, which contributes to his very square look.  Conditionwise, he is um, overfed here, had nothing to do all summer except eat good forage, lol.  He is going into breeding season with plenty of “energy stores”…could get by comfortably with less, although that is not HIS opinion…  A long time Wisconsin breeder who has been to the Shetland Islands saw Lancelot at the show and shared “He is what the rams on the Shetland Islands look like”, which Russ and I considered a great complement and it made it grateful to all the good breeders who have helped us along the way.