Mikala Grady

My name is Mikala Grady I’m from Grandview, Texas and I am sixteen years old. My parents are Brad and Misty Grady and I have two brothers the oldest is Braden and my younger brother is Mason. They all have contributed to my success in ways I cannot repay them.My parents have been the main attribute in my success and I cannot thank them enough for everything they have instilled in me throughout the years and the love and supports that they show me everyday. They are the whole foundation of all my success and I cannot thank them enough for providing me with great animals and for preparing me for life through these industries.My oldest brother Braden started showing and that’s what started the background of my interest in showing. He showed goats and lambs and was very successful over the years. My little brother Mason isn’t quite old enough to show at Texas majors but has shown at Louisville twice. He started to show pigs a couple of years ago in Louisville, but it wasn’t until this year where he had a taste of success with Reserve Poland and Reserve Berkshire.

My background for showing started with pigs my third grade year and now I’m a sophomore in high school. Jay McCormick has also been very influential to my show career in the pig barn throughout the years and has helped me capture a lot of success throughout the years. But,it wasn’t until 2014 where I had a pig that we thought really had a shot of winning the whole show. I took my pig “Malibu”to The Houston livestock show where my biggest dream had finally came true and I had won the biggest barrow show in the country. Malibu was the one of the greatest ones to ever walk and that experience with that pig was one I still consider to be one of my greatest accomplishments. I can still recite the key words that made a legacy for me.“This one is an American Bad Boy he was born to be a champion and I’ll go slap him.” Right then I knew all the early mornings and late nights were well worth it and that I could accomplish anything I had ever wanted if I worked hard. It gave us momentum to hang another banner in 2015 with not just pigs either. Ft. Worth was very good to us in 2015 with my older brother Braden showing the Grand Champion goat. Then two weeks later I would show the Grand Champion Pig. It was a surreal moment for my family and everyone involved and being able to do it along side my brother who led my family into showing livestock made it that much more special. That year at Ft. Worth I also showed my first steer at a Texas major and little did I know how far I would come over the years. In the beginning of 2016 we didn’t see much success ,but as the year progressed some people came into my life that would allow me to be very competitive in the pig and steer barn. Bobby and Mandi Maddox, Nattee Hood Jarred Hobbs,Tommy Meek, Zack Curry and over the past year Taylor Johnson. They have all contributed to my success in ways I cannot explain and never will be able to repay them for. It takes a whole team to be successful and to perfect each angle of the operation and it takes a group of people perfectly matched to have a great time doing everything together.It’s been a great journey the past year and I cant wait to share some of my favorites memories on the road. This past year was the first year we were together as a team and it has gone quite well. I showed at Dallas and won a class, third in class at Kansas City, and was second in class at Louisville. We had Phoenix next and decided to take our Louisville steer, Ziggy to Phoenix along with two others. Ziggy would later go on to win Phoenix and I couldn’t think of a better steer to hang my first banner in he steer barn with. It was a great feat for everyone involved for it being the first banner we had hung as a team. Little did we know that the rest of the year would be just as amazing. Denver would be next on the agenda and I would both show pigs and steers. We knew that we had a good steer and also two gilts that we thought would be very competitive in the pig show. But, it is still hard to believe that we came out of Denver with Reserve Grand pig and Reserve Grand steer and also having reserve middleweight with my pig. Needless to say Denver was very good to us and it is one of my greatest accomplishments. At this point we didn’t think it could get any better but, it just kept getting better from then on out. Ft. Worth would be the next show and with it being thirty minutes from my house it’s a very special show to my community and everyone involved when a local wins. It was nothing short of a dream come true not only because it is the most prestigious show in the nation but, also winning it along side of my best friend really topped it off. We both came from the pig barn starting out and to gravitate towards the steer barn around the same time and to be Grand and Reserve at Ft. Worth was very surprising. Their is nothing quite like the atmosphere in Ft. Worth when you win the press is right there, Del Frisco’s tops the night off with everyone who got you there in the same room, the sale the next day along with a interview and press conference. They really make it a once in a lifetime experience for us kids. After Ft. Worth we proceeded to win Austin which would lead me to the first time I have ever shown in a rodeo for the Grand drive. Over the summer we went to many jackpots and did very well. I grew better as a showman and had to learn how to adjust to a new set of steers. It’s been a fun show season so far with being Reserve Grand at our first outing of the season in Dallas with one of my favorite steers. The past two months have been nothing short of a dream come true with winning Kansas City a very prestigious show in its own right along with Louisville a couple weeks later. Louisville is one of my favorites along with my family’s because we run thoroughbreds and have some at Churchills training track “The Spectrum” and we get to see them work in the mornings and occasionally see one run. Just this past May we had a horse named Girvin run in the Kentucky Derby, he didn’t do as well as we had hoped, but the ride he took us on throughout the Derby was truly a dream come true for everyone involved. Throughout the show in Louisville I had Girvins trainer Joe Sharp along with his wife Rosie Napravnik, and their two boys come to watch me. Along with Girvins jockey Robby Albarado and his family stop by to come see my family and I. It’s pretty neat to have support from many different industries. Louisville is just a really special place with the connection we have with horses and now having won the steer show there. With that being said horses have always been my calling and I want to pursue that and become a vet focusing mainly on Thoroughbreds and also traveling the country and working on the elite tracks. But, as of know my goal is to win every major livestock show in the country in both the pig and steer barn, and a goal to think about right now with having two legs of the triple crown down is winning Denver. It’s been a goal of mine for awhile, it’s not going to be easy but, I am determined to meet the goal of winning all majors in my the respected barns I show in before I graduate. Then to have a shot at the triple crown for the steers is truly an honor and I hope it capture that and make history. Throughout my career so far I have won seven majors, five in the steer barn and two in the pig barn. I have also been Reserve Grand three times, twice with steers and once with pigs. It’s been a great year by it self winning five majors and being reserve at three, and Girvin winning the grade one Haskell Invitational, grade two Louisiana Derby and running in the Kentucky Derby. My family, my team and I have been blessed by this year more than words can describe! We have had a lot of success. But all in all these industries have made me the person I am today and I cannot repay it for the people it has brought into my life, the life lessons, and the friendships it has given me. Thank you to everyone who has made me successful and who has contributed to my wins. I thank God everyday for this life he has given me, and the great people he has surrounded me with!