Sheep shearing is part of many competitions and festivals, like the one in Východná. (source: TASR)
IN EARLY July, sheep shearers from eastern Slovakia competed with each other in the municipality of Kamenica, in the Stropkov district, in two categories: in the speed and quality of their shearing.
Ján Hankovský won in both categories, while also setting a new Slovak record in speed cutting, shearing one sheep in one minute and eight seconds (improving on the previous record by one second), head of the Association of Sheep and Goat Breeders Slavomír Reľovský told the TASR newswire.
The 2nd year of this event in Kamenica attracted 13 competitors from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the preliminary rounds and semi-finals, contestants had to shear five sheep each, while in the finals they had to shear seven. Altogether, they sheared 250 sheep. July is a good time to shear sheep, as this is normally done around this time of year, with a second shearing typically occurring in December. “There is a tradition that if the shearer sets a record, he then also cuts the hair of the host of the farm where the competition takes place,” Reľovský told TASR, adding that Hankovský fulfilled this tradition.
The winner comes from a family with a long sheep-shearing tradition, and eight of his brothers also work in the profession.
