INDIANAPOLIS—As you walked into the fluorescent-lit Champions Pavillion early on Aug. 5, you were instantly greeted by the sight of tall, fluffy llamas in black, white and brown trotting with their handlers toward a square of dirt surrounded by white fencing and one of the Indiana State Fair’s more unusual 4-H competitions—the llama obstacle course.

In the competition, the llama had to go through a series of obstacles with their handler, who ranged in age from elementary to high school, as a judge stood in the middle and watched while taking notes on a yellow piece of paper. The audience sat silently as the llamas excelled or struggled their way through the course.

One obstacle was known as “the jail.” Each llama had to bend down and walk through a grey plastic shower curtain cut into strips, which they did not like—one llama shook its head “no” at its owner.

Another challenge was passing by a kiddie pool filled with little battery-operated cat toys. Some llamas had no problems walking while others backed up and refused to pass even as their handler whispered encouragement, their perked-up ears listening to (and ignoring) every word.

There were other weird obstacles: a pool filled with cellophane, pool noodle hurdles draped with plastic snakes, a pile of old shoes. But the highlight for this reporter was when the handler had to stop the llama and direct their attention toward a large mirror. When it recognized itself, its ears would perk and eyes light up before it booped itself in the nose.

Carla Bergmann was sitting in the stands recording her daughter, Anna, on her phone. She did this so that Anna could look back at the video and learn from her experience for next time.

And she had quite the experience. Sixteen-year-old Anna Bergmann’s 6-year-old llama Penelope refused to cooperate despite her owner’s best efforts. The two are from Moores Hill and participated in the Indiana State Fair’s 4-H llama and alpaca competition for the first time.

Penelope struggled getting through the course, but Anna persisted in guiding her through the end. Anna has had Penelope since February 2021 and had worked with her every day in preparation for this moment.

Anna has participated in 4-H since she was in third grade and before that was a part of Cloverbud since preschool. She has competed in horse and pony, rabbit, veterinary science, pistol, rifle, archery and cake decorating. She hopes to be a veterinarian in the future.

Why fill her free time with all this work?

“The bond,” said Anna. “I love working with [the animals] and getting them to trust me. When you work with them from the beginning, and you train them and you work with them and then they win, that’s so satisfying to me.”

Carla said she loves that her daughter is able to participate in 4-H and gets the opportunity to work with so many different animals. Her father, Nick Bergmann, agreed that it has given her experience with livestock that she wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.

“She’s had the whole experience from greeting, to birthing, even losing one,” Bergmann said. “That is something that most kids don’t get.”

Although Anna did not place in the obstacle course, she did win the llama costume contest the previous night. She and Penelope dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma.

After all of the hard work of the contest and award ceremony ended, Anna was able to leave the Champions Pavillion without a llama by her side and enjoy the rest of the day at the fair.

FOOTNOTE: Tabby Fitzgerald is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.