Colton Miskimen defies odds to win Grand Champion Market Goat

After two years of participating in the Animal and Me event at the Tuscarawas County Fair, Colton Miskimen, 10, decided to join 4-H and take an animal project. The Animal and Me show is held each year on Friday evening, and pairs people with disabilities with an animal to show. Participants learn about animals and answer questions about them.

Throughout his life, Miskimen has learned the only limitations are the ones you put on yourself. He suffered a brain injury at birth from an umbilical cord accident that caused him to have cerebral palsy. It was predicted that he would never walk or talk, but he has defied all odds. He uses a wheelchair to get around but insists on standing for the 4-H pledge at meetings and uses a device to help with communication.

In his first year of competing, Miskimen, a member of the Vision of Hope 4-H club, won Grand Champion Market Goat. It was the animal he had shown in the Animal and Me event.

Miskimen learned to care for and walked his own goat.

“They would hook the goat up to the wheelchair, and Colton walked his own goat,” Buffy Booth, advisor of the Vision of Hope 4-H club, said. “He’s very independent and when he went for book judging, he did his hardest to try to talk without the communication device.”

One of the other Vision of Hope members, Abigail Lightell, helped Miskimen in setting up the animal for judging.

“She was the one that went in the show ring with him to set up the goat and they made such a great team together,” Booth said.

Fair officials also assisted in making sure the facilities were handicapped assessable for Miskimen.

Miskimen had a little help from above.

“Before Colton and Abigail went in the show ring, Harold (Buffy’s husband) and I gave him a little Jesus (figure,”) Booth said. “He told his mom he had Jesus in his heart and Jesus in his pocket.”

When Miskimen and his goat, Fluffy, were announced the winners, he was ecstatic.

“He kept repeating, ‘did it, did it, did it,’” Booth said.

Both Miskimen and his goat were underdogs for the competition. The goat he obtained from Troyer Club Goats was deemed uncompetitive but good for a first-year project to learn what was needed.

Fluffy was one of quadruplets who weighed probably less than a pound when he was born.

“My plan was to take him to the sale barn because I didn’t think he’d ever make a show goat, but I kept him around to try to get some size on him. Little did I know this (goat) would blow up and pack on muscle and turn into a Grand Champion and a memory that will last a lifetime,” Shane Troyer posted on Facebook under the Troyer Club Goats page. “The odds were stacked against them, but they are proof that if you don’t give up and work hard that God can make great things happen.”

Miskimen enjoys volunteering with other events in 4-H.

“We've done hot dog stands; we helped the Warwick Fire Department with their chicken barbecue. We did the 5k race at the Tusky Days Festival. He does community service, just like everybody else in our club,” Booth said.

Booth is impressed with Miskimen and his “can do” attitude.

“There's nothing this kid will not do, he’s unstoppable,” Booth said. “And he’s the most pleasant little guy you will ever meet. He just pulls on your heartstrings and is so appreciative every time you would help him with something. He’s just so full of joy and happiness.”