Catching History Marks 90 years of NWSS Catch a Calf Program
January 5, 2026 – The Catch a Calf program is marking 90 years at the 2026 National Western Stock Show, one of the longest running programs at the event. Since its inaugural year, the program has included nearly 4,000 kids, hundreds of sponsors, hundreds of buyers, and tens of thousands of letters sent to sponsors as updates on the calves and the participant.
Dr. John Matsushima, a long-time sponsor of the CAC program, and his daughter, Nancy Oliver, have maintained records of the participants, sponsors, buyers and winners. Using that information, Western Ag Network's Rachel Gabel researched and compiled the stories of the program in Catching History: 90 years of the National Western Stock Show Catch a Calf Program. The book was designed by former The Fence Post magazine staffer Liz Banman Munsterteiger and includes hundreds of historic newspaper clippings and photos.
The project was generously funded by the Shaws, and book sales will benefit the CAC program for the next 90 years. The 200-page book includes every participant over the past 90 years and many of their stories by decade.
Pat and Kathy Shaw/Savant Resources, LLC, Shaw Resources, LLC have sponsored 20 participants in 20 years, beginning in 2006. Pat Shaw, Erie, Colo., always wanted to have cattle and showed them through his 10-year 4-H career. In 1975, he was one of the participants in the Catch a Calf program who caught and returned the following year.
Rooted in western Kansas and Colorado’s Front Range, Patterson (Pat) Shaw and his wife Kathleen (Kathy) have dedicated much of their lives to youth education, agriculture and the western way of life. They raised their children, P.J. and Elena, in Denver while also spending time at their historic Company Ranch in Grand County, originally founded in 1908 by Gov. Elias M. Ammons, Colorado’s 19th governor and the first president of the Western Stock Show Association. For more than 30 years, the Shaw family has proudly supported the National Western Stock Show as Catch a Calf sponsors and Catch a Calf committee member for over 20 years, Coors Western Art, the Auction of Junior Livestock Champions, and the National Western Scholarship Trust on which Pat served as Trustee from 2019-2024. Pat is a member of the Legacy Capital Campaign Committee and Chairs the Livestock Campaign Committee as well.
“The Catch a Calf Program is designed to give participants hands-on experience in raising and managing a market beef animal including essential skills of animal health, feeding, budgeting, recordkeeping, and marketing, It’s the longest running educational program at National Western and in 2026 will be celebrating its 90th year.”
Pat grew up in the small town of Erie and was a member of the Idaho Creek 4-H Club. Kathy and Pat first met at the Boulder County Fair. He was showing steers and Kathy was selling buttered corn at the Longmont High School cheerleader booth. After high school they both attended CU Boulder, graduating in 1982, Pat in business and Kathy in journalism. While still in college, Pat got started in the oil and gas business in 1981 as a landman acquiring oil and gas leases in the DJ Basin. Before starting their family in 1991, Kathy was public relations director for Colorado Ski County USA. “I got into the oil and gas business because I admired so many of the farmers and ranchers I had grown up around, and I thought being a landman was one of the ways I could do business with all those good people.” In 1988, he started his first independent oil and gas company and has since drilled wells throughout the Rocky Mountain region, as far south as Texas, east to Kentucky, west to California and north to Alaska.
“I’ve been lucky, and I’ve worked with some amazing talented people in my career. I came from a long line of coal miners and sometimes I can’t believe how things turned out. Many of the skills I use in business first came from being in the Catch a Calf program, leadership, communication, writing, recordkeeping, things I’ve used in the oil and gas business every day over the last 40 years.”
Although only growing up on a 20-acre alfalfa farm, Pat always wanted to show cattle which he did in Boulder County for 10 years.
“In 1969, I borrowed money from my Aunt Lois for my first steer and since I made the sale, paid her back the next year. I loved the fair. My brother and I always thought it was better than Christmas. I had some success in what was a competitive (Boulder) County Fair, but never competed with families like the Andersons, Smiths and Biellas, they were pros. After 10 years in 4-H, I had a ton of fun and great memories, learned many life lessons and even had nice savings account for college.”
With the encouragement of Chuck and Bill Waneka, in 1974 Pat signed up to try Catch a Calf at National Western. As Pat recalled, “when I was in my first Catch a Calf contest I was out maneuvered by some bigger and wiser participants, man was that disappointing.” Not to be discouraged, he signed up again the following year.
“My next attempt was in 1975 resulting in a “catch.” I can’t tell you how proud I was that evening as I led my steer off the coliseum floor. I diligently threw myself into the contest, paying full attention to my steer, recordkeeping and corresponding with my sponsor, Mr. Jerry Scarboro with Commercial Banks and the State of Colorado Bankers Association. I don’t remember how I placed overall, but I do remember I was second in record books.” Pat added: “I couldn’t afford to buy expensive club calves, Catch a Calf gave me the opportunity to show at the National Western, which I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.”
The following year, he had a champion Hereford heifer at Boulder County and with the confidence gained in Catch a Calf decided to take her to Denver in January. “She was a solid Hereford heifer, the best I had ever had. There were about 40 entries in my class and as we walked our cattle through the tunnel into the arena, a judge was standing right there. He quickly sorted half the class to the right, the other half to the left. Shortly after he got on the microphone, thanked everyone for being there and promptly dismissed everyone on the left, me included. Wow that was an eye opener about showing in the big leagues. Other than Catch a Calf, my time in the show ring at National Western lasted about 5 minutes.”
As a member of Roundup Riders of the Rockies, in 2017 Pat organized a small group of like-minded riders and others sharing his interest in Catch a Calf. Over the past eight years “Round Up Rider Friends of Catch a Calf” have donated more than $270,000 to purchase the Grand or Reserve Champion Catch a Calf at the Auction of Junior Livestock Champions held the last Friday of NWSS.
“We’ve all bought champion animals at county fairs and stock shows, and that donation goes to that individual young boy or girl, and they deserve it for all the hard work it takes to get there. But what I really like about the Catch a Calf program is the Junior Auction sharing formula. Winning Catch a Calf bids are divided between the two champion exhibitors, the Catch a Calf program and all other Catch a Calf participants that year. Catch a Calf provides young men and women an invaluable education experience and everyone in the program gets a donated calf, the market buyback after the show and a share of the grand and reserve champions auction proceeds. Overall, I don’t think there is a more important or rewarding 4-H or FFA program anywhere else.”
Pat and Kathy’s contributions to the National Western are rooted in their belief in the importance of extending to future generations those lessons and values Catch a Calf so deeply instilled in Pat.
Gabel and Matsushima will be signing copies of Catching History at the National Western at the new Catch a Calf Pavilion in the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center on Friday, Jan. 9 from 3 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 10 from 2 to 4 p.m.; and Friday, Jan. 23 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the National Western Club. Books may be purchased at the CAC Pavilion, at the signings, or ordered online at Rachelgabel.com/store beginning Jan. 5.
Source: The Fence Post Magazine
