In a time when the average life span of a purebred cattle business is six years and kids’ show careers are nine years, 25 years is almost permanent. That is just exactly how long the McPeak family in Warner, Oklahoma has been running BE A CHAMP Show Cattle and Lamb Camps, labeled as the first, largest and best of its kind.

“Because I got to travel with the Connors State College livestock judging team to most of the major shows in the country, I got to learn more about fitting and showing than the other folks in my area.” With this knowledge and the livestock skills Jerry possessed, he and his sons, Jeff and Jason, helped a lot of neighbors get their cattle and sheep ready. In fact, Jerry was spending so much time helping other folks at regional shows his own kids sometimes got neglected. Thus, the birth of BE A CHAMP.

He says his plan was just to do a camp for a few folks in the area. “I hoped enough people showed up that the attempt wouldn’t be embarrassing.”They did, and it wasn’t! Over 60 kids showed up the very first year. Jerry thought it was over. He had done what he had set out to do.

The next winter and spring the kids who came last summer began to call and ask what the dates were going to be for this summer. His response of “I really didn’t think we would do it again,” just didn’t set well with the kids. For those of you who know Jerry, if you want to get something out of him, send a kid. So, there was a second year with an attendance of about a hundred.

The third year saw increased numbers again and the fourth and so on and so on. Now, the camp runs 4 to 5 weeks each summer and hosts almost 700 4-H and FFA youngsters from all across the U.S. Students from 33 states have flocked to the tiny Oklahoma town on I-40 near the Arkansas border. The camp has trained over 12,000 students during its twenty-four years of existence and the McPeaks are looking forward to number 25.

RFD-TV came to the thriving metropolis of Warner, OK and taped several shows utilizing different aspects of showing, fitting and halter breaking. They incorporated that with a nutrition segment sponsored by ACCO feeds. Many of the features still are being aired on RFD-TV.“ Whether because of the TV exposure, word of mouth or advertising,” Veda says, “we’ve gotten more calls this winter than ever before.”Many of the top young show persons in the nation have attended BE A CHAMP. Hunter Soape and Jennifer Smith of Texas are just a couple of the recent visitors. Roxanne Gebhart of Oklahoma and the Bacon kids from Arkansas, recent national showmanship winners, are also alums of the cattle camp.

Madison McGolden, Chelsea and Jessica Seibold, three of the top sheep showpeople in the country come every year. Also, from the past, there was Booger Deskin of Oklahoma and the Bowman girls of Louisianna, the Brown’s from Mississippi, Schrader families from Michigan and Indiana, Zamudios and Hangers from Arizona, Stephens from New York, Elmores from Colorado, Twitchells from Wyoming and Tera Schnabel from Alaska. The list could go on and on.

What has really made BE A CHAMP different from all the rest of the camps that have sprung up all over the country? That too is simple. It is attitude. It is the approach that BE A CHAMP takes to the concept of livestock showing. It is like music is to a composer or painting is to an artist. It’s motivation! It’s deep! And it is heart felt!

In fact, BE A CHAMP is now working on it’s second generation. Parents like Larry Leatherman, who came to the very first camp, now send their children every year. “There was nothing like this anywhere when I was a kid. We were fortunate Jerry did it right here so close. He runs it tough. The kids learn far more than just showing. And he runs it the same way today he did 25 years ago.”

Many ag teachers and county agents across America make BE A CHAMP a part of the summer ritual. Randy Smith and Chris Demuth have brought kids every year since they first began teaching ag in Oklahoma. “Jerry’s goal is to teach kids confidence and determination. He drives them and loves them with intensity. You can’t imagine until you’ve seen it,” says Demuth. Smith chimes in, “He can motivate kids like no other.” Both feel like the motivation carries right on into the school year and show program.

Joe Buzidragis and Greg Crowley, both alums of the camp themselves, now bring students from their ag chapters. Crowley also instructs at the camp along with fellow ag teacher Mitch Milliron of Watonga. Milliron brings his own children as well as ag students in his program. “I taught at a small school near Warner and heard about the camp, but I thought it was just ‘smoke and mirrors’. Finally, one day I visited. Man, was I impressed! I could not have been more wrong.”
Sue Witt, Gilmer, Texas ag instructor, has brought kids to the Connors campus for over ten years. “It’s the highlight of our summer. Leadership camps and FFA camps are good, but Jerry and his crew do more for a kid’s self esteem and confidence than you can ever imagine. You just can’t believe it until you’ve experienced it.”Sue and husband Hal say BE A CHAMP, like McPeak, is the real thing. “We’re close friends with the family now, but he makes every kid feel special.” says Hal.

Glen Elliott, an instructor the very first year and past president of the National Maine Anjou Association, took a special interest in Jinger, the youngest of the spring crop of McPeak kids. “Jinger kind of exemplifies the McPeak way. She was 55 pounds of energy and determination, who was absolutely unafraid of that thousand pound steer and knew she would succeed.”

David Baker, a current instructor for the program, had the “fall crop” McPeak, Jori, in his group this last year. “Jori is on the other end of the spectrum. She is laid back, never has a bad day, never seems down or overly excited. Jerry’s own children are probably a pretty good range of the kids who come to BE A CHAMP,” states Baker.

A highlight of the camp is Show Day, the last day of camp when parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends, and ag teachers return to watch the kids perform what they have learned that week. Prizes provided by Stone Manufacturing are given on Show Day for grooming, showmanship and effort.

You will recognize the names of current lamb camp instructors, Pete Dempsey, Dale Goodwin, Alan Hybsha, Vince McGolden and Larry Peck, as men who have judged most of the major shows in the U.S. “Peck fit so well into BE A CHAMP by the end of the first week, I thought this must have been his idea.” says McPeak.

BE A CHAMP is about kids, cattle and sheep. It is about learning all of the techniques, nailing down the basics, and thinking all the time. BEA CHAMP is about gaining the knowledge, adding the work and doing it every day. It is about not faking it but really doing it. BE A CHAMP is about confidence in yourself and confidence in your partner you work with all week. It’s about not letting that partner down, or your group you are assigned to, or the camp. It is about being on your own, giving all you have all of the time. It is learning “Winning is not an event or happening. It is a way of life!”

When you talk to Jerry about BE A CHAMP, sometimes you don’t know whether you are talking about church or camp. “I wish I could tell you where the idea came from,” says McPeak, “or how we came up with the slogan ‘Act Like a Champ...Think Like a Champ...BE A CHAMP’, but I can’t. I wish I could tell you, this is a business and I knew it would grow to this magnitude and I envisioned this growth from the beginning - but I can’t. What I really believe, and the McPeak family believes, is this is what God gave us to do and it works. We feel fortunate to get to do it. It is exciting every year! Every kid that comes CAN be a winner and IS a winner! I guess that’s why it is so easy to do. We really believe that. And we thank the parents for letting us be a part of their kids’ lives.” McPeak’s
BE A CHAMP Show Cattle and Lamb Camps - 25 years of kids, cattle and sheep and looking forward to every year they get to do it.