Tri-County 4-H youth rack up honors at State Equine Contests
DuPage, Kane and Kendall County 4-H members' excelled in several divisions of the Illinois Hippology and Horse Bowl Competition, as well as the Public Speaking contest, at the University of Illinois.
On April 29-30, hundreds of youth from around the state competed in individual Hippology and team Horse Bowl competitions at various levels.
The event also included a public speaking contest. The senior divisions of the contest also determine the 4-H members who will represent Illinois at national competitions.
"4-H'ers demonstrated their knowledge and expertise on a wide range of equine topics," said Deanna Roby, 4-H Youth Development Educator. "These 4-H youth study for months, or even all year long, to answer questions about equine anatomy and care including: diseases, genetics, parasites, feed, nutrition, behavior, breeds, equipment and the digestive, respiratory, skeletal, endocrine, and circulatory systems."
Horse Bowl requires that the participants be quick minded and "fast fingered" in order to be the first to push their buzzer and answer the question correctly. In Hippology, youth compete as individuals and take a battery of tests.
Horse Bowl results
DuPage County and Kane County 4-H members claimed the top two team spots in the junior horse bowl competition, and four of the top 10 places for individual high points.
• The DuPage team of Josephine Rauch of Downers Grove, Josie Schwab of Naperville, Madigan Marusiak of West Chicago, and Bridget Weyer of Warrenville earned a 5-point advantage for the championship.
In high-point rankings, Rausch took second following a tiebreaker, and teammate Schwab placed sixth.
• The Kane County team took second and included Samantha Lind and Nora Thompson of Maple Park, Andrew Haviland of Elgin, and Elizabeth Melton of St. Charles, who together earned first at the northeast regional event in April.
In the high-point rankings, Thompson, Melton and Lind earned fourth, fifth and eighth, respectively.
• The Kendall County junior team of Emily Wacker, Sara Buss, Karrington Kirkby and Jenna Buss, all of Yorkville, also qualified and competed.
In the senior competition, Kane County 4-H took second place overall with members Grace Feuerborn and Miranda Scheel of Batavia, and Madde Klinkey and Gwen Klinkey of St. Charles.
In the senior high-point competition, Madde Klinkey placed second following a tiebreaker, and teammates Feuerborn and Gwen Klinkey took fourth and fifth, respectively.
Hippology results
In the Hippology contest, individual youth judged multiple classes of horses, testing their knowledge of breed conformation standards and requirements of performance classes. They also answered questions pertaining to a series of pictures, completed a multiple choice written exam, and executed a selection of stations, while timed.
Among all the statewide participants, DuPage, Kane and Kendall 4-H members placed in the top 10 of the senior, intermediate and junior divisions. They include:
• Senior: Gwen Klinkey, sixth place, and Scheel, 10th place;
• Intermediate: Feuerborn, fifth place; Kendall County 4-H'er Jenna Buss of Yorkville, sixth place; and Elizabeth Melton, seventh;
• Junior: Kendall County's Sara Buss of Yorkville, fifth place and Michaela Persico of Oswego, sixth; Rausch, seventh; Weyer, eighth; and Thompson, 10th.
Speech results
Another portion of the state competition is presentation, which includes formal speech, individual presentation, demonstration, team and extemporaneous categories. Kane County youth earned several awards:
• Senior: Scheel and Madde Klinkey placed first in formal and extemporaneous, respectively; Madde and Gwen Klinkey earned first in the team category; and Feuerborn took second for individual presentation.
• Junior: Thompson and Melton earned first-place honors for formal speech and individual presentation, respectively; and Tristan Melton took fifth place for individual presentation.
"We are proud of all of the teams and individuals who represented our counties at the state level," Roby said. "Without the time and efforts of our 4-H volunteer coaches, these dedicated young people would not have these amazing opportunities to learn and grow through this program."
Local 4-H youth were coached by Casey Blair, Kim Marusiak and Deb Woznicki, DuPage County; Rita Feuerborn, Jen Haviland, Sandy Klinkey, and Teresa Melton, Kane County; and Debbie Buss and Patti Wietting, Kendall County.
4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. For more information on the 4-H program in your county, contact Roby at (630) 584-6166 or visit go.illinois.edu/extensiondkk.