Tim Manzi stands in front of the Coliseum at the Oklahoma State Fair Park.
I suppose I have come a long way from watching the Ford AQHYA World Championship Show on the live broadcast for the past three years, to physically attending the show and reporting on its happenings. People that I all but used to stalk through a black and white results page and some bold writing from previous junior journalists’ stories, turned into actual beings with whom I could interact. Everyone that I have met this week has been so forthright with information and willing to speak with me, which has made my experience a memorable one.
Bearing witness to the greatest horses in the world has inspired me to show again, or at least beg my mom to allow me to show again. I am so lucky to have gotten this opportunity to spend days at a time watching history be made, such as the showmanship finals’ reserve and world championships both going to very talented guys, or the western riding champion getting an unheard of score of 241.
However, the most important thing that I will take away from this week’s experience is not necessarily what I expected when I was chosen to be one of the junior journalists this week. I always knew that I loved the American Quarter Horse, and that I enjoyed journalism as well. Yet, somehow, I was largely unaware of the amount of passion I have for both. Through reporting on such a talented subject, with some excellent guides back at the Journal staff room, I have gained a wealth of knowledge about a field I will most likely pursue, among others, when I enter college at the end of this month.
Of course, I won’t miss having my belongings wrapped in duct tape and stuck to the ceiling. Thanks for that, Tom. 
