EARLY – A feat never before accomplished in the history of the State Fair of Texas now belongs to Early 16-year-old sophomore Madden Wise.

Over the last week, Wise became the first person to be awarded Grand Champion Market Goat and Grand Champion Market Lamb in the same year at the State Fair.

“It’s insane, it’s wild,” Wise said in a Wednesday interview. “I always hoped to win at least one and I ended up winning a sheep and a goat Texas major in a span of three days, which is really wild. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into that and it’s great to see it finally pay off. I didn’t understand it at first, but after all the years of hard work and dedication and progressively getting better and better, I was finally able to follow in my dad and grandfather’s footsteps. I’ve only dreamed of this, but all those long hours, it’s all for the big hug whenever you walk out of the ring.”

Wise is the son of Hilton and Amber Wise and Wendy Weathers, and grandson of Wesley ‘Doc’ Wise.

Wise noted that his father accomplished a similar historical feat.

“When my dad was my age, he actually won the steer and sheep shows at the State Fair, and he was the first person to ever do that,” Wise said. “My dad always told me this was coming, and I had put in a lot of hours, but you can never really expect it. It’s one man’s opinion and luckily, I was in favor of that opinion.”

Wise said he made his debut showing sheep at age 10, ironically at the State Fair.

“I don’t remember the placing, but it wasn’t grand overall,” Wise said with a laugh. “I only started showing goats a few years ago, not as long as I’ve been showing sheep.”

Over the years, Wise has honed his skills while showing at the Brown County Youth Fair as member of the Brown County 4-H.

“The youth fair is a lot like jackpot shows in that it helps you get a better understanding of ring presence with your animal,” Wise said. “It also helps reassure you of your livestock. If you’re not sure if one will do well, you can show it at the county fair and if it does good there you might take it to a bigger show. It helps determine which of your animals are better and how to show the animals.”

The animals Wise took to the State Fair had only been shown once before.

“This particular sheep and goat I only took to one jackpot,” Wise said. “They went together, and I won the sheep ring and was reserve in the goat ring. I’d like to attribute my success to a lot of the people that are in the barn with me every day, Ruben, Tate, Jake and especially my dad and little sister Holden.”

Following the recent level of success, Wise is even more eager to attend the Texas and National major events.

“I’m going to Houston, San Antonio, San Angelo, Austin, Fort Worth, Arizona, Kansas City, and Louisville off the top on my head,” Wise said. “I like to set my goal really high, almost unfathomable, so I’d like to win some more Texas majors, and maybe some national shows.”

Down the road, Wise said he has a goal of attending either Texas Tech or Oklahoma State and pursuing a degree and career in the agriculture field.