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4-H
kids from across U.P. compete in Horse Bowl
by 8-18 Media
More than 100 kids gave up a recent Saturday to go to the Forest
Park High School in Crystal Falls to be drilled, question after
question. The questions weren’t on algebra or history; instead
they were about something the kids love—horses.
During the recent Upper Peninsula Regional Horse Bowl, which is
run by the Michigan State University Extension, the young horse
enthusiasts, all 4-H members from across the Upper Peninsula and
Northeastern Wisconsin, were asked questions about riding, horse
care, horse diseases and horse anatomy.
Participant Katie Lindow, sixteen, of Florence (Wisconsin), who
competed for the Dickinson County team, said she had a great time,
and learned a lot.
“I get a better knowledge of horse-related activities, diseases
and anything to do with horses, I get to spend time with some
amazing friends and I get to meet new people,” she said.
It was the first year Rebecca Vollrath, seventeen, of Houghton
competed in the Horse Bowl, but she left enthusiastic about the
event.
“I think it’s a good idea because it lets students get
together and learn more about horses in kind of a fun, competitive
way,” she said.
During the competition, the kids squared off both individually
and as part of a team. In the middle of a classroom, there were
two tables for the teams, and facing them was one long table for
the judges.
Team members had their fingers ready to push a buzzer if they
knew the answer. Some risked pushing the button before the question
was finished. That strategy had mixed results.
According to Linda Beyer of Wallace, coach for the Menominee County
team and on the State Programming Committee for Horse Bowl, the
event is set up like a quiz show.
“You have a team with four players and they play against
another team with four players,” she said. “It’s
patterned after College Bowl. Each contestant gets to answer an
individual question and then they compete against the opposite
team.”
Some examples of questions included: Which grooming tool is used
to trim the long hairs from a horse’s tail or mane? The answer
was “clippers.” Name three parasites that affect horses.
Some possible answers would be stomach worms, pin worms or tape
worms. Give one example of legume hay. Some correct answers would
be alfalfa and clover.
The competitors took the Horse Bowl very seriously because they
were competing in something they loved and on a subject they enjoyed.
They practiced long and hard for the big event, both individually
and as a team.
Cassidy Calderwood, eleven, of Marquette obviously practiced a
lot.
“Study, study, study, study, study since November,”
she said.
Lindow also was ready and prepared.
“We practiced, as a group, every week for two months and
at school I had my friends practice with me,” she said.
Despite all the studying, Calderwood said the judges had some
tricks to make the questions more difficult.
“The most difficult thing is probably going in that room
and being asked questions that have been flipped around from the
things that you have actually studied,” she said. “It’s
just a nerve-racking thing because sometimes when you’re
answering individual questions there is so much pressure on you
that you’re just, like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t know
what to do!’”
The kids came from all around the region, including communities
such as Mass City, Houghton, Norway, Sault Ste. Marie, Florence
(Wisconsin) and many others. There were teams from seven county
4-H programs including Chippewa County, Dickinson County, Gogebic
County, Houghton County, Marquette County, Menominee County and
Ontonagon County.
When the dust cleared at the end of the day, the Menominee County
Team swept the Senior Regular Division with the team award and
the top four individual awards. In the Senior Novice Division,
the Gogebic County Team finished at the top of the team standings
and had the top three individuals. In the Junior Regular Division,
the Marquette County “A” Team won the team competition
and team member Emily Bertucci of Ishpeming won the individual
award. Lastly, in the Junior Novice Division, the Gogebic County
Team took the top spot, plus four out of five top individual spots.
Marquette County Coach Cathy Waller said the contestants give
up a lot of time to compete, but they really seem to enjoy it.
“They have a lot of fun hanging out with each other on a
weekly basis to practice,” she said. “They never get
tired of learning about horses. All these kids ride.”
Most of the kids have future dreams connected to horses. Calderwood
said she hopes to become a veterinarian, specifically a large
animal vet, which means she would deal with horses, cattle and
sheep. Vollrath also wants to be a veterinarian, and she said
she hopes to do chiropraction and acupuncture on horses as well.
Likewise, Lindow either wants to become a large animal vet, specializing
in equine medicine, or a trainer who handles the stunt horses
for the movies.
One of the few boys at the competition, Eric Kocher, fourteen,
of Mass City, has some different dreams involving horses.
“When I’m older, I want to live on a ranch somewhere
out west,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This story was written by members of 8-18
Media Ishpeming Bureau: Tia Platteborze, 12; Lorissa Juntti, 11;
Sydney Dorow, 10, and Mariel Morton, 9.
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