Youth put their dairy knowledge to the test during the Holstein Foundation's national Holstein youth competitions held in Lancaster, Pa. last week, as part of the 2021 National Holstein Convention. Youth from around the country engaged in friendly competition in three different contests.
“Youth learn life skills as they prepare for contests including critical thinking, decision-making, problem solving, goal setting, and independent thinking," says Kelli Dunklee, Youth Program Specialist for Holstein Association USA. “Thank you to the many coaches and volunteers who invest their time and knowledge in supporting dairy youth.”
Dairy Jeopardy
Nearly 60 participants competed in the Dairy Jeopardy competition, divided into three age divisions. This competition is based on the popular television game show, featuring a wide range of dairy-related questions in several categories. Following are the top three individuals in each age division.
Junior Division (ages 9 to 13)
1st: Walter Rhodes, Virginia
2nd: Maggie Toothman, Virginia
3rd: Drew Lueking, Illinois
Intermediate Division (ages 14 to 17)
1st: Kristen Houser, Pennsylvania
2nd: Elizabeth Lentz, Pennsylvania
Senior Division (ages 18 to 21)
1st: Greg Norris, Massachusetts
2nd: Hayley Fernandes, California
3rd: Laura Littrell, New York
Dairy Bowl
In the National Dairy Bowl contest, four-person teams compete within two age divisions: Junior, ages 9-15, and Senior, ages 16-21. A total of twenty-one teams participated between the two divisions this year.
Competing in the Junior Division championship match were the teams from Iowa and New York. Winning first prize was the New York team with members Abbie Ainslie, Kayla Durst, Carolyn Littrell, and Maxwell Pullis and coaches Carol Ainslie and Judy Littrell.
Participating on the Iowa team were Alia Domeyer, Isaiah Hammerand, Ethan Palmer, and Adam Scott coached by Jeff Hammerand. Rounding out the top five junior teams were California in third, New Jersey in fourth, and Wisconsin in fifth.
After an extremely close competition in the Senior Division between California and Wisconsin that resulted in a tie-breaker match, Wisconsin took home the champion prize. Members of the winning Wisconsin team included Katherine Elwood, Courtney Glenna, Grace Haase and Marie Haase coached by Patti Hurtgen and Gwen Dado.
On the second-place Senior team from California were Rachel Mancebo, Mykel Mull, Victoria Paolini, and Emma van Loben Sels, coached by Kirsten Areias. Other teams in the top five included Pennsylvania in third, New York in fourth, and Iowa in fifth.
J. George & Anna Smith Sportsmanship awards are given to one Dairy Bowl team in each division who best exemplify the principles of courtesy, friendliness, and team spirit throughout the competition. Each team receives a cash award and plaque. In the Junior Division the award was presented to Utah, with team members Erin Atkinson, Andrew Jenson, Rebecca Jenson, and Trey Leak. In the Senior Division, the honor went to the team from Minnesota with team members Ella Filk, Kiley Lickfelt, Tyler Ratka, and Rachel Visser.
Dairy Knowledge Exam
The Dairy Knowledge Exam is open to any youth attending the National Junior Holstein Convention who wants to challenge their dairy know-how with a 25-question written test. Like Dairy Bowl, youth are divided into two groups by age. The top three individuals in each division for the Dairy Knowledge Exam were as follows.
Junior Division
1st: Karley Rocha, California
2nd: Mary Fumasi, California
3rd: Chloe Chapman, California
Senior Division
1st: Hayley Fernandes, California
2nd: Marie Haase, Wisconsin
3rd: Mykel Mull, California
For more information about Holstein Foundation youth programs, visit www.holsteinfoundation.org, or contact Kelli Dunklee, youth programs specialist, at 800.952.5200, ext. 4124, or by email.
