Caitlin Olson said she liked the Be A Champ camps so much that she persuaded her parents to move from Arizona to Warner.

Rep. Jerry McPeak (D-Muskogee) said he and his instructors have hosted the camps for 28 years. They teach animal husbandry and positive thinking. Five of the three-day camps are held each year. The last camp brings together both the cattle and lamb students. Because of the emphasis on showing animals in agriculture competition, the full name is the Be A Champ Show Cattle and Lamb Camps.

Olson, 18, from Benson, Ariz., said it all started when she was 15 and her agriculture teacher recommended the camps. He had been sending his children for years. Her first year was 2006.

“I really enjoyed it,” she said. “It was a lot of work, but I absolutely loved it. It really improved my showing skills.”

Olson returned for the next three years, gaining more knowledge each time and becoming fond of northeast Oklahoma. It helped her earn a Reserve Champion Showmanship at the county fair back in Arizona.

“The first time I was here, I fell in love with it,” she said. “I kept telling my parents I wasn’t going to come home. One summer my mom came up here, and she really liked it. Then my dad came up here, and he really liked it. So, they found a house in Warner.”

Now that her family is here, Olson will taking a dual major at Connors State College — agriculture business and agriculture education.

McPeak said Be A Champ will host close to 500 kids this year, ages 9 to 18. But, it’s not just learning about the cattle and lambs.

“We talk to them about having a positive attitude,” he said. “They learn to show livestock and make friends. It’s not a competition against someone else; you’re competing with yourself. We teach them the importance of how you handle what happens to you. Attitude precedes everything.”

If the youngsters are in 4-H or FFA, they are eligible for the camps, but enrollment is full this year.

McPeak said kids are grouped with their own age or experience level.

“They get up by 6 or 6:30 a.m. and get their calves or lambs fed and watered before the start of the first session,” he said. “During the session, they learn showmanship, clipping, fitting and grooming.”

Following lunch, they’re back to the barn for three or four hours. After time to take a dip in the pool and a dinner break, there’s another session around 6:30 p.m., McPeak said.

There’s entertainment after that, and then the kids are finally ready for a night’s sleep.

McPeak said that despite the demanding schedule, many return repeatedly.