Few area athletes can dig a volleyball as well as Chicago Christian’s Celaine Haan.

But even fewer — if any — could come close to matching the senior libero in another type of competition.

Indeed, Haan might very well be the Southland’s No. 1 “Sheep Girl.”

From spring until the end of summer, the 18-year-old Homer Glen native raises, shows and sells market lambs — lambs whose ultimate destination is the dinner table.

During her 10 years as a 4-H Club member, she has won more than 30 awards at Illinois county and state fair competitions.

“It’s a really cool hobby, especially being at a school in Palos Heights where it’s almost unheard of to raise sheep,” Haan said. “It’s interesting to do what 90 percent of American kids don’t have a chance to do.”

Haan said she became involved while watching her older brother, Alex, raise a market lamb at a farm down the street from their home.

“He had a football game the day of the Will County Fair and he asked me to show for him,” Haan said. “I showed, and I won. The next year I wanted my own. My mom (Lou Ann) made me work for a year at the farm to show that I was serious. The following year I got one.

“Since then I’ve learned a lot of good life lessons. Through this I’ve learned about friendships, hard work, dedication, care.”

To say nothing about the realities of life.

One of her greatest moments as a market lamb raiser also was one of her saddest.

It was just after a competition at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield in the summer of 2008. Haan, then 14, and Hendrix, her 7-month-old market lamb, had been named champions of their division at the fair.

“He was the Illini champion for his carcass, which means that on the rack his meat quality was the best,” Haan said. “I had to walk him onto the trailer (which was headed for the slaughterhouse) right then and there.

“My mom was trying to take pictures and I was crying and yelling at her. He was one of my favorites. But it’s the cycle of life. You can’t keep them all forever.”

Haan keeps them for about six months on a farm in Wilmington owned by Todd and Colleen Benjamin.

She purchases eight to 10 lambs in March, when they are approximately two months old, from professional breeders across Illinois. The price range for the lambs she raises is from $100 to $500.

“They weigh maybe 30 pounds and they’re just these little scrawny things,” Haan said, smiling. “They’re always so cute with their little wooly faces. When they’re young, they’re my favorite.”

Haan said she raises her lambs as pets. They have names, know them and recognize her voice.

She trains them, however, as competitors.

“You have to teach them to show properly, which is standing a certain way, pushing against you and flexing all of their muscles.

“I have to train them to be able to walk with me. I can hold their head with one hand and they walk next to me.”

In season, Haan works at the farm every other day. She feeds the lambs corn, oats and a protein supplement. By the time they’re ready for show, they weigh 130-160 pounds.

“It’s really cool to watch them grow and progress over time,” she said. “You work them so their muscles get better.”

If Haan sells a winning lamb at the Will County 4-H auction, she can make as much as $500. If she sells the lamb to market, she receives whatever the market price is per pound.

This year, Haan estimated she made a $700 profit.

Haan laughed when asked to compare a livestock competition to that of the cut-throat world of dog shows portrayed in the comedy movie, “Best of Show.”

“Oh, it most definitely is (cut-throat),” she said. “People say there are a lot of politics involved (in the judging) and I’ve seen it happen. People spend huge amounts of money on each lamb. I’ve known people to spend $15,000 on a single lamb alone. It’s very competitive.”

Haan enjoys being a small-school girl who can beat the big-time marketers at their own game.

“It’s just really fun being the underdog,” she said. “Just because it’s not expected for me to win, I always hope that my hard work will pay off.”

Lambs that Haan doesn’t sell to market may wind up in the family freezer.

“If I want to keep one I can send it to the slaughterhouse and tell them what kind of cuts of meat I want, and pick it up a few weeks later,” she said. “My family has purchased some of them. My uncle is one of my big buyers.

“There are a lot of ways to cook it. It tastes good, so I’ve heard.”

Only heard?

“I don’t eat my own,” Haan said, smiling. “I’ll eat a gyro, or anything else, but I won’t eat it out of my freezer. My mom enjoys it a lot. I’m sure they’re delicious.”

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