WESTEN HOTTELL: 16-YEAR OLD AUCTIONEER

Westen Hottell, 16, said, “I figured I always liked to talk, so I might as well get paid to do it.” Westen had to take special course to learn the language he is speaking, the language of an auctioneer.

Last weekend at the Top Hand Longhorn Sale in Rapid City, S.D., Westen used his talking skills and chant to auction off a bred Longhorn heifer.

On Saturday, Westen sold Lot No. 1, designated as a youth lot with only youth bidding. This was his second opportunity to practice his skills in an actual auction setting.

Westen’s first auction attempt was at Scottsbluff Sugar Valley Stockyards in July. He said that was a rough one; he got so nervous. There were seven calves in the lot, and he confessed it just did not go as well as he would have liked.

But he was pleased with how the Rapid City sale went. In a thrilling two minutes, he swiftly escalated the bidding from the starting bid of $2,000 to $4,500 in $100 increments. He admitted to feeling nervous, but once he got started, the auction flowed smoothly, adding to the excitement of the event.

Backing up a few months to when he was 15, Westen called an auction school and gathered the information to apply, and the school admitted him. He paid for the course himself.

In June, Westen received his diploma from the Missouri Auction School. The online school that he attended was a mix of live sessions via Zoom and on-demand meetings.

“They send you lessons and have Zoom classes, then you take a test,” he explained.

The most important part after receiving his certificate is practicing the chant. Westen said, “I practice it all the time.”

So, how do you get practice at a real auction? You ask the auctioneer.

While in Amarillo, Texas, at a Longhorn sale in July with his uncle – and knowing that the auctioneer in Amarillo was the same one scheduled for Rapid City – Westen asked if he could auction off the youth lot in Rapid City.

They said sure and the stage was set for Rapid City, and Westen got his chance.

Westen attended Potter-Dix Schools last year and transferred to Kimball. He is a junior this year.