Jake Herring pictured far right after scoring his first blue ribbon at the Forbes Show recently.
Parkes local Jake Herring has been shearing competitively for just over a year now.
His dad used to compete, and Jake was just 7 years old when his dad first let him use the handpiece and shear. “I was 17 when I started to shear full-time, and eventually after learning to shear, I decided to compete as well,” said Jake.
Sports shearing is an Australia wide competition. To be eligible to compete nationally, shearers join the circuit and shear in competitions at agricultural shows in NSW, with the aim of earning enough points to compete for NSW against the other states.
There is generally a sports shear competition held somewhere in NSW almost fortnightly, with some of the shows also offering wool handling competitions.
Jake Herring recently scored his first blue ribbon at the Forbes Show and said, “I’ve done quite a few shows now and and I was extremely happy with the first place on the weekend as I’ve worked very hard to get there.”
“I started competing to learn more about what I’m doing in terms of shearing gear and actually shearing the sheep, but after a taste of a few second and third places, I was determined to win,” said Jake.
Jake will continue to compete individually against other shearers from around NSW, all vying for the top spot and the opportunity to compete at the national competition.
The first authenticated daily tally of sheep sheared in Australia was recorded in 1835 by Tom Merely, who sheared 30 sheep.
Over the years, shearing has evolved significantly with the introduction of mechanical shears and the establishment of shearing competitions, leading to its recognition as a sport in Australia.
Jake in action shearing.