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Wednesday, December 29, 1999
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Exeter 23S -336S
Exeter 'limes Advocate
Former Irish player wins another
all -Ontario title...showing cattle
By Craig Bradford
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
DENFIELD — Mark Philips
has won two all -Ontario
titles in vastly different are-
nas.
Philips, 22, was a member
of the '98/99 all -Ontario win-
ning Lucan Jr. D Irish hock-
ey team. His second Ontario
title came at the Royal
Winter Fair in Toronto last
month. There he and his
Angus cross calf won the
Queen's Guineas competi-
tion. The win over 105 other
cotnpetitors.`helped his calf
'seIlbr$23,.000 and won him
the use ofa. spiffy cattle
trailer for a year
along with the
• honour of ,joining fps P!tY
a. select group- of prestigious to win
mottle showmen. because you can
"It's pretty pres-,. only win it once,
tiglous to win
because you can :WS an elite club."
only win it once: MARK PHILLIPS
Phillips said. "It's
an elite club
750 acres of land of which
they use 150 acres to grow
cash crops such as corn, soy
beans, ,kidney beans and
hay. The family sharecrops
out the remaining land.
The cattle showmanship
' gene runs in the family.
Philips' brother Scott, 18,
was the Queen's Guineas
reserve champion in '98.
Philips also has an illustri-
ous hockey background. As a
member of the Chatham Jr.
B Maroons he won a
Western Jr. B League cham-
pionship in '93/94.
Before that he played with
the St. Marys Jr, B Lincolns
for three years.
He tried out for
the London Jr. A
Knights in '93 but
a shoulder sepa-
ration ended his
chances for a Jr.
A career.
Phillips played
his last two years
of junior hockey
with. the Irish and.
got to play with- Itis brother.
"I wouldn't trade that," he
said of playing with his
brother. "It was neat."
Like winning the Queen's
Guineas is the highlight of
his cattle showing career,:
whining the ail -Ontario Jif...:-
title- is the highlight of
Miran career.
"It Sias a great wayt+p l6
is junior hockay , as ' itr�
Phillips._.
Now a centre. with the
Hensall Sr. A :Sk two ds,
'Phillips hope tali sidt up for
.*ore games. fee's. Only
plan it five with the teams: as
far), -pg the showing season
win*
• Milli . ing with the
Stherwoo s. Phillips gets a
chance to play with Exeter
Hawks and other farmer
players of junior teams he
battled with. -
"It's kind of nice to play
with guys I played against,"
he said.
While not a major scoring
threat, Phillips keel( where
his on -ice talent lied.
"I could score goals but I
played my best hockey away
from the puck setting people'
up," he said.. "I was also a
thorn in the side."
Though you wouldn't
expect it, there are some
similarities between showrnr.;
cattle and hockey.
"The goal is always to
win," Philips said. "I always
had a love of cattle. It's kind
of WI hockey. Every show is
a new game. You create an
animal. It's like an art form.
It's competitive."
And what makes a good
showman sometimes also
makes for a good hockey
The Denffetd• nO isd
full-time- fanner ais& Vices
' some of that .;grinning touch
back tote community. With
every he sets aside some
money for charity.
He donated $500 to the
Sunshine Foundation after
the Queen's Guineas win and
has dented •.to the .Canadian
Cancer Society: Corr the calf
buyer's charity: of choice in.
ths_gast,
"When you have a gift you
don't mind ;shar:it with
Others,' Phillips said.
Sbo 11g_caives at the Royal
Wintef Fair, for 10 years. be
has v..Orked vilq:*6141
local 'agricultural Iasi like
Merton's to' showing his
calves in the U.S. like he did
over the weekend in'
Michigan:
Along the: way . he has won
many competitiops- at area.
fairs and many classes at the
Royal. mostly in the market
division class.
His best RoYat Winter Fair
finish in the ;open class came
this year with a third.
Third was also his best
overall performance in '97.
That year his Ridgetown
Agricultural College room-
mate won the overall title.
Phillips has worked with
• cattle on the family farm for
as long as he can remember.
"I've been showing sine, I
could hold onto something,"
he said.
The majority of the six to
18 month old calves he's
shown have been steers but
he is getting into showing
heifers and is starting to
raise his own calves from
birth: He now has 20 cows.
The, Phillips family owns
What at show. Denfield 's Mark Phillips shows off his banner for winning the Royal Winter Fair's
Queen's Guineas cattle showing championship. Behind him are two of his seven month old calves.
(photo/Craig Bradj6rd)
player. Phillips said the aim
in showing Is to hide the
calf's faults and accentuate
the good qualities.
He plans on continuing
showing his calves in the
U.S. and hopes to become a career.
leader with the Lambeth 4-H The Phillips family includes
club next year. mom Sharleen, dad Glenn
He also plans on helping and older sister Lisa.
his brother with the last four
years of his junior showing