Nicki Guttler makes NSW sports shear history at Dubbo Show

Things have certainly changed since then and she'll soon find herself on the national stage after a history-making sports shear performance at the state final at Dubbo.

Ms Guttler starred at the Dubbo Show and became the first person to qualify for the NSW sports shear team in three events.

After missing out on the team by half a point four years ago, a "fire has been burning" inside Ms Guttler to make a comeback.

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Following a successful season that saw her arrive in Dubbo on top of the senior circuit leaderboard, Ms Guttler was the only individual to compete across all three events.

The move saw her qualify second in the blade shearer and senior woolhandler events as well as first in the senior shearer.

"Coming so close to qualifying has been ticking away at me, but I've travelled far and wide for the shows this year to practice," she said.

"I wanted to go for the trifecta and represent the team in all three grades because no one has ever done it before.

"To stand next to the top shearers at the state finals is pretty mind blowing."

Unaware of how shearing would change her life, Ms Guttler stumbled across the sport after she entered a novelty women's event in her hometown of Lockhart.

"My mum has been in the sheds since she was young...she knew how to take the wool off a sheep so I asked her to teach me how to shear," she said.

"At the novelty event I didn't know the front to the back end of a sheep and I fell off the stage... but we all start somewhere.

"I went to my first shearing school on my 21^st birthday.... and I just kept going back.

"Eight years on, I shear full time and have travelled most of Australia as well as worked overseas in the UK and New Zealand."

NSW sports shear chairman Jeremy Newberry said the response to Ms Guttler's success from the community has been fantastic.

"Nicki's massive achievement shows that if you strive for your goals you can do anything," he said.

"Shearing has been a very male dominated sport, but in the last ten years we've seen more females get involved.

"Nicki has become a role model for the next generation...a little girl told me she wants to be just like her one day."

Ms Guttler said that shearing has become a form of art that has changed over time.

"It can be a hard trade to get into and Australia has always been short of shearers so it is important to encourage as many young people as possible to get involved," she said.

"When I started in the sheds, the number of women were slim but in the past few years a lot of women have taken to it quickly.

"Young people need to give shearing a go."

Ms Guttler will join the NSW team in Jamestown, South Australia, for the national competition in October.

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