Playing the Field: Sisters balancing 4-H success with sports

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Field sisters pose with one of their prize pig at the Fulton County 4-H Fair Swine Show Wednesday. From left – mother Erica Field; McKenna Field; Jadyn Field; Ali Field; Miss Fulton County First Runner-Up Shelby Cahill; Little Miss Fulton County Brooklyn Ridenour; Miss Fulton County Second Runner-Up Jessica Taylor. Kneeling in front: father Mark Field.

The Field sisters were everywhere at the Fulton County 4-H Fair Tuesday and Wednesday.

And they will be everywhere during the upcoming basketball season this winter and the softball season in the spring of 2026.

Jadyn, who will be a junior at Rochester High School this fall and who is in her eighth year of 4-H; Ali, who will be a freshman and who is in her sixth year of 4-H; and McKenna, who will be a fifth-grader and is in her second year of 4-H, raise both livestock and pigs on their family farm.

“Honestly, I think we all did really great,” Jadyn said after the Swine Show Wednesday. “We came out with a couple of wins, which was surprising. It really paid off for our hard work.”

The sisters were a part of the grand drive, which comes at the end of the Swine Show and includes all the winning pigs in all categories.

“I feel like I did pretty good,” Ali said. “It was a little nerve-wracking going into the grand drive, and that was my first time. I didn’t know if I was going to win or not. But it turned out fine because I got fourth overall.”

McKenna is in her second year in 4-H.

“I think I did good,” she said. “There are a few things I could have worked at, but overall, I did really good, I think, and they did really good too.”

The sisters work in the barn from 9 a.m. until about noon every day. Sports come later. Jadyn plays basketball and has played on two sectional softball championship teams. Ali plays volleyball, basketball and softball and is expected to join Jadyn on the varsity in the latter two sports this year. McKenna plays basketball and softball.

“It’s a lot because we have to balance that and sports,” Jadyn said. “We all put in a lot of work.”

McKenna spoke of the discipline that it takes to combine sports and 4-H.

“Our sports take up a lot of time, so we have to kinda hustle through it, but we still have to get through them and stuff like that,” she said.

Interestingly, they each raise a different species of pigs: Jadyn raises Durocs, Ali raises Spots, and McKenna raises cross barrows and cross hams.

Jadyn said she chose Durocs because they drove pretty well.

“I think they’re a good animal to work with,” Ali said of Spots. “They do pretty well when you work with them a lot and you get them trained. They do pretty well in the show ring.”

McKenna said she liked crosses because they are really easy to walk.

The girls were then asked who is more unpredictable – basketball referees, softball umpires or 4-H judges.

Jadyn quickly said 4-H judges and noted she won a category in the Beef Show Tuesday that she thought Ali was going to win.

“Refs in sports, they’re like 50-50,” Jadyn said. “They make half the people happy, and they make half the people not happy. But a judge will only make a couple people happy.”