Sometimes the road into agriculture begins in unexpected places
A young cheerleader, Tiffany Maestrale fell in love with sheep just two years ago through her school’s show team and has already reached a national championship.
“My advice would be just to do it,” she said.
Victorian teenager Tiffany Maestrale has swapped pom-poms for prize ribbons, taking out the National Merino Sheep Judging Championship at the Royal Adelaide Show on September 4.
The 17-year-old from Flinders College was crowned champion after representing Victoria on the national stage, where she faced competitors from across Australia in one of the most prestigious young judges’ contests.
For Tiffany, who only discovered sheep judging two years ago, the victory was both surreal and deeply rewarding.
“This was my first time winning a National sheep competition,” she said.
“It was a great opportunity to network with other like-minded people as well as the opportunity to represent Victoria against the other states and territories.”
Unlike many of her peers in the competition, Tiffany did not grow up on a sheep farm. In fact, her family has no farming background at all. Her introduction to agriculture came through Flinders College, where she joined the school’s sheep show team. This year, she took on a bigger role, helping to run the sheep section at the Pakenham Show.
“I have always had a love and passion for animals and that is what inspired me to join the school’s sheep show team,” Tiffany said.
“Being a part of the sheep show team gave me the opportunities to part-take in the junior events (junior judging and junior handling) at local shows and it has just grown from there.
That passion has now seen her compete in more than 80 competitions, from local country shows to major events like the Australian Sheep and Wool Show and the Royal Melbourne Show.
This year alone, Tiffany has stacked up a series of impressive results. At the Victorian Agricultural Shows state finals in July, she placed:
3rd in Merino Sheep Judging
2nd in Meat Breeds Judging
2nd in Merino Fleece Judging
Those results earned her a coveted spot at the national finals in Adelaide, after qualifying through her state-level Merino Sheep judging win in Bendigo last year.
“I was genuinely surprised to win the state competition, as I hadn’t expected it. Heading into nationals, I felt a mix of nerves and excitement,” Tiffany said.
At Adelaide, Tiffany was tasked with judging a line-up of Merino sheep, ranking them, and then explaining her decisions to the officials—a skill that requires both technical knowledge and confident communication.
Her placing first in the nation was the culmination of months of preparation, guided closely by her mentor, Pakenham Show sheep coordinator Tess Runting.
“Without Tess helping and guiding me through my competitions I wouldn’t have made it as far in the competitions especially going to nationals,” Tiffany said.
“Tess has really influenced me, especially in competing in competitions and overall sheep knowledge.”
Tiffany’s rise in the show ring is made even more remarkable by her other passion: cheerleading. She has been training in the sport for more than a decade, even representing Australia at the World Cheerleading Championships.
She first fell in love with the sport after spotting a cheerleader cartwheeling down the street at a local parade.
“I immediately asked my mum to do it and I have continued to do it for 12 years,” Tiffany said.
“My family and friends have really supported me in my passions and have really supported me in my agriculture journey.”
While the two pursuits may seem worlds apart, she sees surprising overlaps.
“Cheerleading has given me the opportunity to gain teamwork skills, which translates into leading the Flinders sheep show team,” Tiffany said.
“In both, you need to project confidence and communicate clearly, whether that’s through speaking (explaining your placings in livestock judging) or through your performance on stage.”
Winning at the Royal Adelaide Show was a career highlight, but Tiffany says the most valuable lessons weren’t about ribbons.
“The biggest thing I learnt from nationals was to make sure to enjoy every moment and to not worry about things that I cannot control,” she reflected.
Another highlight was the camaraderie between competitors.
“Talking to the other competitors and gaining more connections in the agriculture industry was a memorable moment from the competition.”
Despite her growing success, Tiffany doesn’t plan to pursue a full-time career in agriculture. Instead, she hopes to combine her passions by moving to the country and becoming a primary school teacher or governess. Sheep judging, she says, will remain a lifelong interest.
And while she may not come from a farming family, she hopes her journey inspires other young people to take a chance on agriculture.
“My advice would be just to do it, ask as many questions and go get some experience in the agriculture industry.”
