2024 Western Lifestyle Trade Craft Showcase
In 2019, during the National High School Rodeo Association’s annual Mid-Winter meeting, Garrett Hershberger the student vice president of the Arizona delegation of NHSRA, proposed to the Advisory Committee that the association should create a scholarship built upon hand skills and tradecraft work.
“We knew friends that loved to rope, run, and bulldog, and kept thinking, what about the kids that love to do leather or silversmith work, paint, draw, and weave,” says Hershberger.
That very summer during the 2019 National High School Finals Rodeo, the Western Lifestyle Trade Craft Showcase was born. Hershberger submitted his leggings in the craftsmanship category and was one of nine scholarship recipients in that inaugural year.
“While the first year there were some doubts on if this scholarship program would work out. It has proven its success year after year,” says NHSRA VP of Marketing Gary Hawkes. “Each year we continue to double entries and interest in this scholarship program. This year alone we have 70 outstanding entries.”
In 2021, Western Horseman partnered up with NHSRA to sponsor the scholarships and help facilitate the growth and development of the Western Lifestyle Trade Craft Showcase.
“It’s a core piece of Western Horseman‘s foundation to promote the cowboy spirit and the Western way of life,” says Dani Licklider, director of Western brands at Morris Communications, which owns Western Horseman. “The trade craft showcase allows us to recognize student-athletes outside of the performance arena and cast a light on the importance of passing down art and craftsmanship skills to the next generation.”
The talent and entries for this year’s Western Lifestyle Trade Craft Showcase has been another testament to the dedication and effort of NHSRA and Western Horseman. A total of 70 pieces were entered from students across 19 states and three countries. The categories for this year’s contest were broken down into Craftsmanship, Fashion & Jewelry, Art and Household Items. Western Horseman is presenting a total of $8,450 in scholarships to the top three winners in each category, as well as the overall and reserve winner. New for this year, we will be offering prizes to the people’s choice as well as an “All Around” award for participants who submit multiple pieces.
In addition to scholarship money, Western Horseman has partnered with silversmith Nevada Miller and her Be A Maker School to help provide continuing education for our Overall Winner, and our All Around winner, in further developing their trade craft skills. BAMS is a subscription-based educational service that offers courses in silversmithing and engraving, chap making and leather tooling, rawhide and leather braiding, Western photography and cinch making.
2024 Western Lifestyle Trade Craft Showcase Entries Craftsmanship
Fashion & Jewelry
Art
Household Items
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