U.S. Sheep Shearing Championship results posted
The 2025 U.S. Sheep Shearing Championship was held June 6-7 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Roseburg, Ore.
As noted in the August 2025 edition of the American Sheep Industry Association’s (ASI) Sheep Industry News, the competitions featured coarse-wool crossbred ewes generously provided by local Commercial Producers Dan Dawson, Chad Furlong and Tom O’Conner.
Soundview Fiber Mill of Shelton, Wash. purchased 1,200 pounds of wool shorn at the championship to be processed into commemorative rugs, which were available for presale at the event.
The championship drew a total of 51 competitors from several states who competed in shearing and wool handling contests across a range of experience levels.
Machine shearing
In the beginner division of the machine shearing contest, Leslie Sullivan of Hartland, Vt. placed first. Jake Sexton of Haines, Ore. placed second, followed by Flora Winters of Creswell, Ore. and Juan Cornejo of Gustine, Calif. in third and fourth.
In the intermediate division, Blade Thomsen from Turner, Ore. came out on top. Henry Shere of Laytonville, Calif. placed second, followed by Tirzah Gunther of Luverne, Minn. in third and Mary Lake of Randolph Center, Vt. in fourth.
Eight competitors entered the open division. South Dakota native Paul Astin of Hermosa, S.D. won first place, followed by Furlong of Roseburg, Ore. in second.
Alex Moser of Larchwood, Iowa finished third and Timothy Wright of Byron Center, Mich. took fourth. Marcus Irrthum of Wanamingo, Minn. finished in fifth place, followed by Loren Opstedahl of Union Center, S.D. in sixth.
Seventh and eighth places in the open division were awarded to John Quimby of Idelyld Park, Ore. and Matthew Bean of Penngrove, Calif. respectively.
Blade shearing and wool handling
In addition to the machine shearing competitions, blade shearing and wool handling contests were held.
In the blade shearing competition, wool was shorn manually using hand-held shearing blades rather than electric shears.
Opstedahl placed first in the blade shearing, followed by Doug Rathke of Hutchison, Minn. in second. Lake came in third, and Kevin Ford of Charlemont, Mass rounded out the contest in fourth place.
In the wool handling contests, competitors raced to sort and clean freshly-shorn wool as quickly and efficiently as possible. Brook Williams of Wanamingo, Minn. took first place, followed by Rathke in second place.
Helen Astin of Hermosa, S.D. finished third, and the competition rounded out with Katherin Moser of Larchwood, Iowa placing fourth.
Other festivities
According to ASI, a pop-up speed shear event was held in the parking lot of a local bar and grill on June 6 in addition to the official championship competitions.
A crowd of spectators who accompanied the shearers and a handful of bar patrons gathered to watch, and Paul Astin took first prize out of 24 shearers who participated.
ASI further notes three beginner shearers were able to take place in the competition virtually, completing timed and judged runs through the Oregon Sheep Growers Association Beginner Shearing School held prior to the championship.
Admission to the event was free and open to the public. The Douglas County Livestock Association hosted a lamb barbecue on Jun. 7 and the Umpqua Weavers and Spinners Guild exhibited a wool showcase displaying wool processing techniques and products.
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
