And while the wool industry is facing a looming shortage of shearers, it seems shearing competitions may be part of the answer to raising the industry's profile and attracting keen and wool handling talent.

After a hard week in the shed many of these fit men and women are turning out to the State's shearing competitions to entertain large crowds and share in lucrative prize pools such as Timber Creek Pine Kangaroo Island Speed Shears.

Last weekend, a record 70 entries, including six various world shearing record holders competed in the world's richest speed shears competition with $14,500 up for grabs.

The winner David Fagan, from New Zealand, flew in for the weekend and took out the $7500 Open section.

He shore a first cross lamb in just 22 seconds cheered on by a crowd of more than 500 people.

Sports Shear South Australia secretary Steph Brooker-Jones says shearers have become athletes and are now close to achieving sporting status like their counterparts in New Zealand, with strong support from Australian Wool Innovation.

It is a well-known fact a day's shearing expends a similar amount of energy as running the Olympic marathon.

Eleven competitions affiliated with Sports Shear SA are held each year across SA with most held as one of the main attractions of country shows across the state.

There are two types of competition: the speed shear category focusing on entertainment and sports shear which tests stamina and quality.

* Extract from a full report in Stock Journal, November 27 issue.