When entries opened for the inaugural Winter Showdown in April it only took half an hour for them to reach capacity and that same enthusiasm carried through to the event.
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Nearly 100 cattle were exhibited at the Penola Showgrounds from as far afield as Victoria's Gippsland to the Lower North of SA with the judging undercover.
The focus of the day though was the youth with more than 80 junior handlers aged from 8 to 24 years back in the ring in the afternoon.
Committee member Mason Galpin said it was fantastic to see such a large crowd supporting the event and witness how much grew with confidence with their animals during the day.
"We wanted to give them the opportunity to go to a show before the (SA Junior) Heifer Expo and the Royal Adelaide Show - the first time kids in particular would have got a lot out of it," he said.
Fellow committee member Ben Brooksby said the vibe of the event was electric.
"It is pretty cool to achieve this with such a small committee but we all work really well together and everyone has their jobs," he said.
He said they were also hugely grateful to the sponsors, including premier sponsor Van Schaik's Bio Gro, who had really got behind the event.
The committee, which also comprises Luella Western and Kimberley Wilson, will now look at how they can accommodate even more entries in 2025.
Judge and young Limousin breeder Phoebe Eckermann gave the nod in all four classes of the commercial section to Spence's Show Steers, Keith, but it was the winner of the heaviest class which was the champion.
The impressive steer, Jack Frost UX13 was a Euro-British breed cross comprising Speckle Park, Shorthorn, Simmental, Limousin and Charolais genetics.
The Spences also won junior champion heifer with Limousin, Spence's Monica U6.
Nampara Angus stud, Lucindale, also had a great day out winning champion bull with Nampara Powershift U184, as well as intermediate and senior champion heifer classes with Nampara Moongarra U82 and Nampara Sweet Pea U02.
Ms Eckermann -who was the 2022 senior champion herdsperson from the SA Junior Heifer Expo and now works for NeXtgen Agri as a livestock breeding consultant- said her decisions only got harder in the junior handlers classes.
Senior champion handler was awarded to Eliza Llewellyn, Jillangolo stud, Keith.
"She is a really calm parader who profiles her animal really nicely," Ms Eckermann said.
"She had some moments when the heifer has been a bit difficult and her ability to calm her down has been amazing
Intermediate champion handler went to Olivia Baker, Woonallee Simmental stud, Furner, who was praised for her professionalism and ability to present the heifer well.
"It was that ability to blend in with that heifer and get her to show off really nicely, I couldn't take my eyes off of the heifer," she said.
Charlotte Hann, Nampara Angus stud, Lucindale was the sub intermediate champion handler, while one of the youngest entrants Sophie Wilson from Warrawindi stud, Penola, was the junior champion handler.
