By Olivia Minnier

A local student wins first place while participating in the Delaware County Fair.

Austin Stromski, a ten-year-old resident of Delaware, won two top three places in the dairy feeder category during his first time participating in the fair. He competed with two different dairy feeder cows, Buzz and Woody, named after the Toy Story franchise characters of the same name. He took home first place with Woody and Buzz received third place.

Austin’s mom, Christina Stromski, said the family was nervous about whether he would feel comfortable to show Woody in the ring by himself.

“Even though Woody was a bit skittish, Austin did great,” she said.

Stromski said Austin learned so many valuable skills applicable to daily life from participating in 4-H.

“Austin was so involved in their care, bottle-feeding them, bonding with them, and cleaning their pens. As they grew, he fed them grain, hay, and water. All summer, he spent many evenings walking the calves with Derek, practicing in the yard and down the driveway. One of Austin’s favorite things was washing the calves, he loved spraying them down. In just five and a half months with Woody and Buzz, Austin learned so much about responsibility, dedication, and the rewards of hard work,” she said.

Austin first started receiving services from DCBDD since  he was very young after his family noticed he was missing developmental milestones as a toddler.

“He didn’t meet any of his milestones, like sitting, crawling, walking. He didn’t walk until he was about one and a half… he didn’t start talking until he was three and a half,” she said.

Marcy Downing, Austin’s Service and Support Administrator said it has been a pleasure working with him and his family for the last eight years.

“Austin is outgoing, eager to learn, friendly, and loves the outdoors. He has the constant support, and encouragement of his wonderful parents, Christina and Derek. Austin is a helpful and supportive brother to his younger sister,” she said.

Marcy said his parents have worked tirelessly to promote his ability to communicate and interact effectively with his friends and family. She said they have also made it a point to make sure he is included as a valued member in activities outside of their home.

Marcy said this became very evident during his involvement in 4-H and other activities.

“Austin has spent time, daily, working with his dad and their family’s animals to learn the skills necessary to achieve his goal of showing his calves at the 2024 Delaware County Fair. Austin attends the YMCA regularly to develop his water safety and swimming skills at the YMCA. Austin has also been an active Team Member in the ‘Unstoppables’ basketball and baseball league(s), which includes children from other counties in Ohio. Everyone is excited to see what Austin’s interests and determination will allow him to accomplish next,” Marcy said.

Christina said his overall progression has made her feel so proud as a parent. Austin’s involvement in 4-H showed “not only how capable he is, but also how great 4-H is at helping kids grow and learn,” she said.