WAUKON -- Numbers flew out of Jodi Sweeney's mouth in rapid-fire succession.

"Twenty-five, 30, who will give 35 now," Sweeney belted out Oct. 19 during a household auction in Waukon. A used Toro snowblower was on the block.

There's nothing Norman Mueller of Luana hates more than going to a sale and not being able to understand the auctioneer. He has quit bidding before out of frustration.

Not this time; Mueller purchased the snowblower for $75. But then, he didn't expect anything different from Waukon's world champion female auctioneer.

"You've really got to watch what some (auctioneers) are saying … but with her, you don't," Mueller said.

That's music to Sweeney's ears. That means all the time practicing while driving or in her dorm room at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls paid off.

Customer satisfaction is the No. 1 goal in sales, she said. But Sweeney admits the recognition is pretty nice, too.

On July 21, the third-generation auctioneer won the female division of the International Auctioneers Championship in Nashville, Tenn. Twenty-two women worldwide competed in the Super Bowl of auctioneering.

At 22, Sweeney is the youngest person, regardless of gender, to win the competition. She received a $10,000 cash prize, trophy and championship ring. Past champions judged contestants on selling ability, speed, poise and interviews.

"It's very rewarding to win it," she said. "I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I can do this. Friends will say, 'I didn't know you could actually do it that well.'"

The presidential scholar said she would spend hours perfecting her craft, doing tongue twisters and number drills. At first she would try to keep it from classmates at UNI, but after a while embraced the unique aspect of her life.

Sweeney would even conduct mock auctions for business classes.

"Jaws just dropped," Jodi recalled the first time she auctioned in class. Now, classmates want her to chant on the spot. "It's a lot of fun."

Natural ability and hard work helped Sweeney's quick ascension to the top, family and friends said.

That was crystal clear to judges, both at the state and international level. In 2007, Sweeney was the youngest and first female to win the Iowa Auctioneers Association State Bid Calling Contest.

Chris Longly, spokesman for the National Auctioneers Association, said many auctioneers work 20 to 30 years on their chants, and some never perfect it. Sweeney has been at it for less than three and is world champion.

Longly said Sweeney's talent is obvious. During auctions or contests, he said people often carry on conversations in the background. But when Sweeney started selling at this year's contest, Longly said people stopped talking and paid attention.

"She has poise and her chant is very clear with a good tempo and cadence. Jodi is a prodigy in many ways," Longly said. "She has a bright future in the industry."

However, Jodi didn't always want to follow in the footsteps of her father, Jeff, and grandfather, Ray.

Ever since she can remember, Jodi said auctions were a part of her life. At six, she was already running tickets from the auctioneer to the clerk and. At 11, she was clerking full-time.

But in her late teens, like many young people, Jodi thought about separating herself from the family business -- Sweeney Auction Service. She said she wasn't sure if the lifestyle -- which means persistent hard work -- was for her.

"My friends would be out Friday night and I would have to go home early to make sure I was ready for a Saturday sale," Sweeney said. "When I went to UNI, I never wanted to be an auctioneer."

By the winter of her freshman year, the finance and real estate major had a change of heart. She missed the hustle and bustle of sale day, getting to know regular customers and the thrill of finding the "true market value" of an item.

In the summer of 2006, she attended the Worldwide College of Auctioneering. The course takes a week, according to the school's Web site.

"When I got away, I saw it (auctioneering) from a different angle. I realized what it would mean to me to become the third generation," Sweeney said.

It means a lot to her parents, too.

Jodi said her folks never pressed her to become an auctioneer, which was confirmed by mom and dad, but her parents are happy she did. This way, Penny Sweeney said has the option to join the business after she graduates from UNI in May.

Penny made a generations picture for her daughter that's displayed in the business's action house office. Shots of Ray, Jeff and Jodi calling out bids are side-by-side.

"The first time I heard her auction, it brought tears to my eyes. There's a lot of pride for us," Penny Sweeney said.

Currently, Jodi is a mortgage loan analyst intern for Aegon in Cedar Rapids and works weekends with the family. She's also a contract auctioneer for Rich Penn Auctions in Waterloo.

Jodi said she isn't sure if she'll join the business after graduation, but it's likely.

"I'm sure I'll eventually come back," she said.

Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.