The No Limits P.I.G. Show is an annual Missouri State Fair event that gives students with cognitive or physical challenges the opportunity to show an animal they tended to over the past few months. One student who showed a pig at the fair this past Aug. was Rolla Middle School student Kooper Lueck. With the help of Lena Stricklin, a junior at the Rolla High School, Lueck showed a pig which he called Fern. 

“It’s brought him out of his shell. [Kooper] was super shy at the start and then towards the end, it was like he was ready to be there,” said Stricklin.  

The fair gives participants who don’t necessarily perform or participate in the Special Olympics the opportunity to connect and care for an animal. 

“I’m in the Student Council and we went to the Special Olympics…and I had a student with me, and all day, I had so much fun there,” stated Stricklin. “I knew about the No Limits from last year and I was trying to scout out who I wanted [to work with].” 

Stricklin has been working and showing livestock for over seven years, and No Limits allowed her to share her experiences. 

“Last year you got to watch, and they auctioned off two belt buckles with an award, and after the show, I was like, I want to do this. This is something I want to do,” claimed Stricklin. “Last year after the show was over, I was like, ‘I’m doing it.’ So, I pushed forward to be able to do it.” 

With Stricklin educating Lueck on how to take care of a pig, he quickly developed the skills to train the pig for the show. 

“She’s a very good teacher and she was very good at teaching me,” stated Lueck. “She taught me all the ropes and in just a week or two, I got the hang of it.” 

Around March, Lueck started traveling out to Stricklin’s farm to work and care for Fern. As he prepared for the show, Lueck undertook a variety of tasks to tend to the pig. 

“Well, every once in a while, I would come out to the farm where the pig was and we’d give the pig a bath…We would feed the pig, and after a few months, the pig was up to the great size for the pig show,” stated Lueck. 

Lueck was proud of the achievements he and Fern accomplished during the state fair and of her obeying during the show. Lueck hopes to continue to work with pigs and livestock, for he enjoyed the experience very much and persuades others to do the same. 

“The pig show is a very good choice for kids with disabilities,” said Lueck. “I would highly recommend it because it gives kids a time to shine, so they don’t feel left out on anything.”