Episode Summary: EmpowerU – "The Power Of The Panel... The Post Game Sort"

Featuring: Weston Hendrix, Luke Domingue (Host), Judges Brent Murphy, Blake Bloomberg, & Kyndal Reitzenstein
Date: January 25, 2026

Overview

This episode of EmpowerU offers a deep-dive debrief of the National Western Steer Show, focusing on the “panel judging” approach featuring insights from all three judges: Brent Murphy, Blake Bloomberg, and Kyndal Reitzenstein. The conversation uncovers their expectations, experiences, class-by-class analysis, the impact of the new arena and lighting, key moments from the Grand Drive, and reflections on both the process and the people. Listeners are given unique transparency into the sorting logic, disagreements, and memorable cattle that defined this year's show—providing an exceptional educational resource for livestock industry leaders, competitors, and enthusiasts.

Main Theme

Empowerment through collaboration and transparency:
The episode examines the power of a three-judge panel system at one of the industry's premier steer shows, emphasizing the value of open discussion, the necessity of differing opinions, and the critical role of character and preparation among both competitors and judges.

Key Discussion Points

1. Pre-Show Expectations & Emotions

• All judges share excitement, nerves, and a sense of honor going into the National Western, especially with the new building.
• Kyndal (01:15): "I was just really excited... the new building and all the hype behind it... to work with the kids, see the steers, and work with Murphy and Bloomberg."
• Murphy on nerves: (01:17): "I've always thought the day I don't get nervous, I need to hang it up for sure."
• Blake: (02:13) "Trying to make the most of the moment and being the first steer show in the new arena had its perks... a humbling experience, but also one we took very serious because of the magnitude of the moment."

2. New Arena & Surface—Impact on Judging

• Judges praise the improved footing and dramatic lighting.
  • Murphy: (03:29) "The lighting was sure completely different... there was a lot of things the light showed pretty heavily where maybe a year ago that was just a little different."
  • Kyndal: (04:14) "You can't really hide anything on that surface... the lighting was so bright. I had to put my hand up and dim the lights."
  • Blake echoes missing the “aura” of crowds close to the ring in the old setup.
• Foot structure and hair quality are more exposed.

3. Class-By-Class Highlights & Judging Philosophy

(Throughout 05:30 – 74:40, detailed class breakdown provided; selected highlights follow.)

• Judges detailed their rationale for class placings, often disagreeing but always respectfully.
• Power of the Panel: Multiple times, the group underscores the value in their differences.
  • Kyndal: (17:35) "This class actually showed me the power of the panel."
  • Murphy: (46:56) "[I was the only one that did]...and once again, hey, I'm cool with it."
• Willingness to Stand Alone: Murphy (09:07): "If you don't make livestock showing personal, it's a whole lot more constructive... judge it as three people cumulative together, and be okay to support it."
• Balance of Traits: Judges discuss not “single traiting” steers—emphasizing a holistic, market-ready animal over favoring one extreme.
  • Murphy (26:41): "It's so hard to make very, very good livestock ... I'm a huge proponent to not single trade them."
• Complexity of Middle Classes: Middleweight classes ("teenage" cattle) are noted as the most challenging—animals in transition, tough to sort, nuanced trade-offs.
  • Blake (23:17): "Could tell we were about to make the turn in that class. You could kind of start to see some consistency in the cattle."

4. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Panel disagreements and trust:
  • Blake (19:09): "If we all saw them exactly the same, there wouldn't be a need for the three panel system."
  • Kyndal (19:04): "I had some true challenge on just piecing together really those top six steers."
• Standout Steers:
  • Blake (33:07): "[The silver steer in class 7,] if we could combine those two steers, we might be getting pretty close to a perfect one."
  • Murphy (37:39): On the eventual grand champion, "You know, sometimes it's okay to just be so genuinely good."
  • Kyndal (42:35): "It pains you to put that good of cattle in sixth or seventh because leaving your house, whatever calf was six in this class, I'm sure they thought they had a really good shot at winning the show."
• On Handling Pressure:
  • Murphy (77:18): "Judging those livestock is not for the weak of heart... you are taking somebody's passion and their work, and you're basically the one that's going to make the decision."
  • Kyndal (82:22): "I'll be honest, I've thought about the show so many times... Everyone around me is like, Kendall, you gotta stop. And I can't, because you know how hard those kids have worked..."

5. Grand Drive & Final Reflections

• Host describes the emotional, almost cinematic energy of the Grand Drive (75:39-76:39).

• Judges recount how, after all the classes, they “wiped away biases from class placings” and evaluated final drives with a clean slate.

  • Murphy (77:18): "I thought the way to do it right was to wipe everything out we'd seen today...I thought they were really, really close."

• Judges offer what their "personal" top five might have been, recognizing small but significant differences in opinions.

  • Murphy (79:40): Detailed breakdown of his top 3–5, acknowledging how close many were.
  • Kyndal (82:22): "When I say I'm speechless, I truly meant it because I didn't have the words to form about how good the cattle were."
  • Blake (88:06): "My top five maybe would have ended up a little different had I been judging by myself...but that's the beauty of the panel."

• All express deep respect for each other, the exhibitors, show management (especially Joe Epperly, noted at 86:34), and the National Western tradition.

Segment Timestamps

- 00:00 – 03:10: Introductions, panelists’ pre-show thoughts

- 03:10 – 04:54: Impact of new barn/lighting on assessment

- 05:30 – 74:40: Class-by-class analysis, judging rationales, key disagreements

• Selected detailed discussion:
  • 07:17-09:53: Sorting methods and panel disagreements in Class 1
  • 17:35-19:09: Power of the panel highlighted in Class 4
  • 37:39-42:35: Spotlight on the grand champion steer, depth of Class 8
  • 46:56-49:48: Deep discussion and sharp differences in heavyweight classes
  • 74:40–76:39: Lead up to Grand Drive, emotional context

- 75:39 – 90:40: Grand Drive reflections, how final picks were made, emotional and philosophical closing

• 77:18-79:34: Murphy on top 5
• 82:22-86:34: Kyndal’s emotional perspective on the day, gratitude
• 88:06-90:06: Blake’s perspective on panel judging and the new venue

- Throughout: Standout moments: color impact, handling difficulties, showmanship, and judge camaraderie

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “The day I don’t get nervous, I need to hang it up for sure.” — Murphy (01:17)
• “You can’t really hide anything on that surface. Structure is huge out there.” — Kyndal (04:14)
• “If we all saw them exactly the same, there wouldn’t be a need for the three panel system.” — Blake (19:09)
• “This class actually showed me the power of the panel.” — Kyndal (17:35)
• “Judging those livestock is not for the weak of heart…that’ll wear on you quite a bit.” — Murphy (77:18)
• “I wish I could have said more on the mic. I was speechless from the fact I’ve watched every steer show since I was a little girl at the National Western, and I thought of any grand drive... that was the toughest… I personally have ever had to make judging a show because the cattle were so good.” — Kyndal (82:22)
• “If everybody placed them the same, then there wouldn't be the need for the panel.” – Blake (88:06)

Episode Tone & Character

• Candid, respectful, deeply passionate.
  Humor and camaraderie present, but an undercurrent of humility and seriousness about the responsibility of judging and the significance for the kids involved.

For Listeners New to Show Cattle

This episode is both an open seminar in livestock evaluation and a behind-the-scenes look at high-level livestock competitions. Each judge’s reasoning and heart are on display—an invaluable resource for competitors, coaches, and fans wanting to understand not just “who won,” but “why.”

Final Reflection

EmpowerU’s panel-driven, nuanced recap offers a rare look at honest disagreement, thoughtful resolution, and genuine respect—all foundational for the next generation of livestock leaders.

(For full classes breakdown, detailed class commentary, or individual judge philosophies, refer to time-stamped sections as outlined above.)