Wisconsin State Auctioneer Championship Contest

After a very busy weekend of selling at auction, I traveled to Milwaukee for the State Championship Auctioneer Contest held at the state fairgrounds. It was nice this year to not have a leadership role, and I was able to just enjoy the contest. I brought a good friend along, and she and I not only experienced the contest but also attended the Betthauser Auction Company auction that evening at the Serb Hall in Milwaukee.

There are so many people that have worked (or attended)for multiple years that don't get the recognition that they deserve...WAA President-Elect Bob Hagemann and his wife Sally, buyer Leanne from Chicago who atttends religiously, Gene & Rosemary Schmidt, Tom Kleist and his wife, and a multitude of other auctioneers and buyers!! THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US!

It was a very fun day at the fair, and because of the heat & humidity, my friend and I limited our grazing of "fair food" to just Wisconsin cheese curds and the famous "Wisconsin Cattlemen's" ribeye sandwich.

The highlight of the contest to all, of course, was the announcement of the winners! The top 6 finalists held some surprises for me personally, but you never can doubt the judges, who are all experienced in the trade. The finalists were ALL worthy of the title, and I was pleased to see two female auctioneers in the final round. (Male auctioneers typically have an advantage due to emanance of their voice) and our state contest does not allow for separate male and female categories (as the International Contest does).

Getting to the quick of things, when they announced the runner-up, reserve champ (and there were still 4 auctioneers standing), and said "SHE" dada tada....we knew it was CAROL MILLER who won!! She was the only female standing amongst the remaining six finalists!! FIRST TIME A FEMALE WON IN THE HISTORY OF THE CONTEST!!

Carol is very deserving in so many ways and will represent the Wisconsin Auction Industry well! Her next debut in competition will ocurr in Orlando, Florida during the July 2011 NAA Convention, where she will be sponsored by the Wisconsin Auctioneer's Association in the International Auctioneer Contest.