LB livestock judging students earn U.S. title
The CommuterTuesday, December 1, 2009
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Jordan Johnson
The Commuter
The LBCC Livestock Judging Team are national champions, earning the title on Nov. 18 at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky.
It was only the second time in 34 years that a west coast team has won the competition, which is like the “Super Bowl of livestock events,” according to coach Rick Klampe.
The team of six won by a two-point margin, with a total team score of 4,215 points. It was followed closely by Black Hawk East Community College from Illinois, and Butler Community College from Kansas in second and third place respectively.
“We were surprised when we placed higher than schools from the Midwest because they have such an advantage; they are literally surrounded by livestock,” said Jordan Baumgartner, an LBCC sophomore from Albany.
The team flew into Louisville on Nov. 14, and the competition began on the following Wednesday morning. Twelve officials were judging 26 teams from all over the United States, with more than 120 individuals being tested on their knowledge of cattle, sheep and swine.
LBCC team members were happy with their win but worried that less consistency in their judging might bring down their total score.
“We all have an ability to speak really well and score high, but sometimes our nerves get the best of us and we make simple mistakes,” said team member Madi McGuire, a sophomore from Dallas.
The Roadrunners won the overall judging competition, placing second overall in Sheep, third in Swine and fourth in Beef.
One of the keys to proficiency is knowing and recognizing different breeds of animals. Each member of the team has grown up around livestock and animals.
“To be successful you need five solid competitors. It’s not a one-person activity at all. Each of us were especially consistent with our individual scores,” said team member Hannah DelCurto.
Other members of the championship team were David Baglien, Ivory Duyn and John Gladman. The team is coached by Klampe and Clay Weber.
The team hopes that the freshman team members will be prepared to participate in many of the upcoming events next season. They travel all over the United States to compete.
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