Emma Goebel, age 14, shows students from Denver’s Helping Youth Pursue Excellence Program (HYPE) how to handle sheep in preparation for a judging event at the National Western Stock Show in January. Goebel has been working with livestock at The Urban Farm since age 8.

On a chilly January morning at the 2025 National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, students ages 8–18 quietly paraded their sheep into the arena. Middle schoolers in jeans and turquoise-studded belts muscled ewes into position before a judge. A youth in cowboy boots stood nearly as tall as the head of her animal, her hand guiding her sheep’s nose upward. Students had come to compete from as far away as Wyoming, Kansas, and southwestern Colorado—and perhaps unexpectedly, from as near as the neighborhoods of Central Park and Park Hill.

Students receive feedback from a judge while presenting their sheep at the National Western Stock Show. Emma Goebel, right, won first place. Henry Lippa, to her left, received second.

“Kids right here in the city of Denver are showing livestock and learning about the cycle of life, where their food comes from, and that selflessness that taking care of an animal requires,” says Amy Marrs, board member with The Urban Farm (TUF), which is located on the eastern edge of Central Park. “This is the place for kids who love animals, who want to explore at their own pace and in their own style. The kids here are developing perseverance and grit and are passionate.”

Members of The Urban Farm gather with their prize-winning sheep on Jan. 12 at the National Western Stock Show in Denver.

Emma Goebel, age 14, is one of those passionate young people and has been working with sheep, as well as horses, at TUF since she was 8 years old. At NWSS, she showed her sheep Aralia and Aralia’s lamb, Silverado. “It’s the best feeling in the world to be showing a sheep you’ve raised and trained and is something I’m really proud of,” she says.

Emma Goebel secures her sheep, Aralia and Silverado, in their pen at the stock show.

Goebel competed alongside TUF members Sophie Burant, age 15, with her sheep Twinkie, and Henry Lippa, age 14, with Bruce. “I like the adrenaline rush when the judge comes up to shake my hand,” Burant says. “The people that I show sheep with are my best friends.” Lippa appreciates the friendly competition and the feeling of “your hard work leading up to something to show for it.” He adds, “It gives me an opportunity to be with farm animals that I would not normally get living in a city.”

The sheep training paid off: Goebel, Burant, and Lippa each took home ribbons from NWSS, and Goebel’s lamb was named champion in a wool breed open show. These are significant achievements for youth showing livestock, as NWSS “is considered one of the premier national shows,” notes Adams County 4-H livestock specialist Christina Seely.

Student dedication and achievement have also fueled the regrowth of TUF’s sheep and goat program. “In 2020, we had to completely shut down the farm. Kids couldn’t show, and some moved on,” explains Liam Wunder, TUF educator and manager of the program. The group floundered again last spring when the program’s former leader resigned. “The older kids made the difference,” Wunder says. “It was their knowledge that helped keep us going.”

Goebel, Burant, and Lippa, among other long-standing members, stepped in to support less experienced TUF students, in addition to tackling their usual duties of mucking pens and feeding, watering, and exercising their animals. “I could be watching TV instead of being out in the freezing rain or cleaning up poop,” admits Goebel, who carries a multi-tool around the farm and has repaired more than one sheep enclosure. “But I love it so much. My sheep are like family to me.”

As part of her efforts to spread love for livestock, Goebel took a day over her winter break from school to demonstrate showmanship to participants in Denver’s Helping Youth Pursue Excellence Program (HYPE). This year was the second time that HYPE students joined TUF members to compete at NWSS, with Goebel, Burant, and Lippa providing pointers in the arena. HYPE student Phillip Reyes Sifuentes says, “I have more of a vibe with animals than people, so at the stock show, I want to present myself respectfully.”

Front Porch photos by Christie Gosch