Solon woman bids on win at national auctioneer championship

It is rare to see a 22-year-old female auctioneer. It is more rare for them to win state championships.

But Emily Wears of Solon hoped to continue her winning streak July 20. The 22 year old represented Colorado as the Colorado Champion Auctioneer at the National Auctioneers Association Conference in Spokane, Wash.

Wears, who is the first female and the youngest to win the Colorado Auctioneers Associate (CAA) Champion Auctioneer, grew up in the family business - Wears Auctioneering – and has been an auctioneer for five years.

While other high school students were out in the sun enjoying their summer holiday activities, Wears went to the World Wide College of Auctioneering in the summer of 2007, her junior year in high school.

The auction school, located in Mason City, has produced many world, state and provincial champion auctioneers. The training session that Wears attended lasted 10 days.

"It was 12 to 13 hours day, with us waking up at 7 a.m. and getting done by 8 or 9 p.m." says Wears. The mornings started off with tongue twisters, followed by number drills and then mock auction practices.

Wears Auctioneering which focuses primarily on personal and estate property auction and Emily Wears grew up thinking that was what everyone in the industry did.

"This other kid that came from Canada, he thought that everybody only sold livestock," says Wears. "So it was eye opening to see all these different people, to see what they do and realize that there are more opportunities to what I'm just doing."

Music was her life before auction school and it opened up a possibility that Wears didn't think about before. She is currently a student at University of Wyoming and plans to stay in Wyoming and run her own auctioneering business after graduation.

"In 2008, I participated in the International Junior Auctioneer Championship in Nashville. That was my first competition, and I got second place," says Wears.

She went on to participate in various competitions, winning the 2009 Iowa State Auctioneer Championship, Wyoming's People Choice Award, and recently Colorado Auctioneers Association Champion Auctioneer.

"I have look forward to this National Auctioneers Association conference for a long time," Wears said in early July. "I'm more ready this year to compete than I ever have before."

"Last year I made finals and got fourth. Hopefully I can make finals again this year. Maybe do a little better than I did last year," she says. "I don't know about winning. I think there's a little bit of luck in it. I'm hoping to get in the top three.