We caught up with Ms. Lynsee Pullen after she judged the Gilts at the 2024 American Royal. Check out her thoughts below…

What breed stood out as the toughest and deepest?
As always, the Crossbred Gilts were incredible all the way through. So many high quality gilts that made the division thought provoking and really fun to sort.  Also I was happily surprised about the depth of quality in the Poland breed as well!  That was probably the best Poland show I’ve had the privilege to judge.

At what point did you know that your champion was your champion?
The Champion came out of the very last class of the day and with the challenge that class 50 brought, I instantly knew it was a different tone.  KP and I met in the center of the ring to evaluate the top pair, which ended up being the Champion and Reserve cross. Realizing the incredible quality that was in front of us, we decided to do one more close inspection confirming the belted gilt had the show from there.

What’s one thing you wish this generation of showmen needs to be more aware of?
I love this generation of showmen!  They are passionate, eager, aggressive, and have a will to win!!  I hope they know that their personal value is not attached to how their hog places or how many banners they win.  I hope they can see the bigger picture in life and realize with Christ at the top of their life they will be blessed tremendously.

When judging do you ever wonder what the pedigrees are on some of the animals or think I bet that one is a ……. ?
ABSOLUTELY!  Every show.

Any funny encounters throughout the day?
Oooohhh there’s always a few entertaining kids. There might have been a little showman that went straight to the scales without getting the judge’s point, he knew what he had and didn’t need me to tell him to weigh.  There was another who showed with his tongue out the entire time.  The littlest showman are the most entertaining.

What has been the biggest change in the ring since you were an exhibitor?
Besides an increase in quality across all breeds….Kippy Belts and rhinestoned Ariat boots have been replaced with On Cloud Shoes and Hey Dudes.  2000 showman would never enter the ring with tennis shoes, and we all have lower back pain to prove it.