It was a victorious weekend for the Prescott-County 4-H Club, which came home from the 2016 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair with an armful of trophies.

Competing at the Royal is a big deal. It is the largest agricultural show in Canada and features more than 2,000 agricultural competitions. Individuals and 4-H teams come from across Canada to participate in the Royal, bringing with them more than 5,000 animals.

Kelley Allen, who leads the Prescott-County 4-H Club with his wife, Tammy Jackson Allen, told The Review that he was proud of the accomplishments of all of the kids who participated, including his two daughters, Caitlin and Cassie. He said it was the first time he could recall that a team from eastern Ontario won the square dancing competition.

The Prescott-County 4-H Square Dancing Club entered both the “Youth” and “Open Division” classes, winning first place in both divisions.

“It was the first time they were dancing at the Royal and they were definitely the youngest group there. The judges liked their youth and their enthusiasm,” said Allen.

Allen said the competition was fierce. The local team from Vankleek Hill and surrounding area were competing against past winners, including one group that has been performing together for more than 30 years.

“The kids were professional and relaxed and they did a good job,” said Allen. He said that the teams were judged on five criteria, including, timing and accuracy; uniformity; responsiveness to the caller; spirit and enthusiasm; and originality.

The four couples competing on behalf of Prescott-County included Caitlin Allen, Keegan Barton, Cassie Allen, Cameron Whinfield, Rebecca Levesque, Matthew McOuat, Hannah McOuat and Clay MacWhirter.

Allen credits hard work and dedication for his team’s win. He said that square-dancing, like any sport, requires a little bit of commitment and dedication to the group and the sport. It’s also about having fun and showing it.

“It’s a real treat to be able to win at the Royal,” said Allen, who came home with his own trophy, after winning the “Best Caller” trophy. It was Allen’s fifth time winning in this category. He said that the last time he won was in 2005.

“I had a good set to call for, so it made it easy,” said Allen, who has been calling square dances for the past 25 years. He started back when he was a student at the University of Guelph and has been participating ever since.

During the competition, the Prescott-County team performed two dances. The first was a surprise draw of one of four dances that they were tasked with preparing for. The second dance was their choice selection, which was a mixture of the “Triple Arch” dance and “Texas Star.” Allen said that by mixing the two songs, he was able to keep the dancers moving and to increase the showmanship aspect of the performance.

In addition to their dancing skills, the Prescott-County kids also proved adept at dairy showmanship. Ariane France won Grand Champion (Senior) Showperson in the Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic. The group also placed third out of 50 for “Best Exhibit” and had a top-ten finish for Premier County.

Caitlin Allen also qualified for the final round of the Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic Junior Showmanship category. She placed in the top twenty, of 125 competitors in her age group.