CLEAR SPRING - Emily Myers would not consider herself an athlete, but the 15-year-old flexes her biceps as she talks about her tennis swing.
The power comes as much from herding sheep around her family's farm as it does from practice rounds on the court.
Emily, a Clear Spring High School tennis player, once again is gearing up for the summer's Washington County Ag Expo. The secretary for Huyetts Crossroads 4-H club, Emily enjoys sewing, cooking, photography and showing sheep.
Jeff Semler, extension educator for Maryland Cooperative Extension, calls Emily a "go-to person" for the 4-H program.
"Almost any job you give her, she does it without complaint," Semler said.
A high school sophomore, Emily has been involved in 4-H since third grade. On a tour of her family's farm Tuesday, she pointed out her two newest lamb projects, George and Ellie.
"You're around them so long, you recognize them by their face contours," Emily said as her sheep ate out of a trough.
Though Emily admits sheep are not intelligent, she says she has enjoyed taking care of them.
"They're cute, and they're an animal that I can handle because they're smaller than steers, and they don't weigh 1,000 pounds," Emily said.
According to Semler, Emily is an ambassador for 4-H.
Emily said she often uses skills she's learned in the club. This year, she created an Easter Bunny costume so she could make an appearance at a Ruritan egg hunt for younger children.
"I did last year's, but the costume was all wrong, so I looked like a little white pig," she said with a laugh.
Emily's parents, Amy and Mark Myers, and Semler say 4-H teaches participants skills they can use on and off the farm.
"What have I learned? Lots of responsibility," Emily said.
A sign thanking the Myers' 2003 buyers hangs at the farm where Emily and her brothers, Samuel, 14, and Gavin, 12, tend to their animal projects.
"It's a wonderful experience. It teaches them a lot of responsibility, especially the animal projects because they have to feed them every day and walk them every day and halter-break them," Amy Myers said.
Emily's interests extend beyond the barn.
On Tuesday, she prepared chocolate-covered strawberries and breezed through a ragtime song on the family piano.
Emily has been chosen by both students and teachers as an accompanist, and she plays keyboards in the jazz band.
"You know when we go on vacation in the summertime, it's the one thing she misses most, other than her kitty," Mark Myers said.
The shelves in Emily's room testify to her passions. Books and 4-H medals decorate the space she designed and her father built.
Emily, who is considering a career in chemical engineering, spends her spare time reading, drawing and watching movies. She is active in her church youth group and high school a capella and show choirs.
"I bring a bunch of books to school. Every spare moment, I'm reading," Emily said.
As summer heats up, she will be spending a lot of those moments in the barn.
"4-H is awesome. It's taught me ... everything," Emily said.
