Success at Judging Contest “Super Bowl”
Hand-crafted by Colorado State University’s judging program, eight students were sent out on a mission.
The goal: use their years of practice and education at this one and only opportunity to showcase their skills and talents.
Held once a year, the National Meat Animal Evaluation Contest in Stillwater, OK is a “one shot deal” according to one of the team’s coaches, Shane Bedwell.
Not only is this a one competition season, but once a student has competed, they are ineligible to ever compete again on this type of team.
Diversity and Dedication
“The dedication needed to compete in this contest is unmatched for undergraduate students. It requires the diversity of knowledge to evaluate animals on a market, breeding, and meat product basis. It is truly the Super Bowl of intercollegiate contests,” explains Co-coach Travis Hoffman.
The team consisted of Jerilyn Hergenreder, Ralph Hinton, Melissa Volosin, Josh Cleland, J.W. Wood, Meghann Docheff, Mandy Meyers, and Jeremy Blach.
What makes this competition so grueling, are the four uniquely different, yet entirely important categories: Market Division, Breeding Division, Meats Division, and Communications Division. The first three categories are made up of sheep, swine, and beef components, while the communications division closes the competition with a 12-minute group presentation on a topic relevant to animal agriculture.
Awards of Plenty
Colorado State came home with their highest finish since 1996 with wins both in the Sheep and Meats Divisions, 2 nd in the Beef Division, 3 rd in the Breeding Division, 3 rd in the Communications Division, 4 th in the Swine Division, and 6 th in Market Division. They ended the 2-day competition ranked 3 rd overall.
Individual accolades include:
- Jerilyn Hergenreder – 1 st in Beef , 2 nd overall, 2 nd in Meats, 4 th in Breeding, 7 th in Sheep, 7 th in Swine
- Ralph Hinton – 2 nd in Sheep, 8 th in Beef, 9 th in Breeding
- Melissa Volosin - 6 th in Breeding
- Josh Cleland - 7 th in Meats, 8 th in Sheep
Jerilyn Hergenreder turned in an impressive finish earning 2 nd place in the overall contest.
With only 4 points separating Hergenreder and the leader, the place was bittersweet in this one-chance contest.
“The contest is worth around 3000 points during 2 full days of competition,” says Hoffman on Hergenreder’s final place.
“Reserve high overall individual is an impressive feat and an acknowledgement of Jerilyn’s hard work at Colorado State.”
Building A Legacy of Success
“The success of this team showcased the talents of these eight students and speaks highly of our judging programs in the Department of Animal Sciences,” comments Bedwell. This team was cultivated through the ranks of the judging program, which comes in way of specific design.
Wool judging is usually made up of freshman students; meats judging occurs generally during the sophomore year; livestock judging takes place during junior year; and as seniors, students have the opportunity to participate in meat animal evaluation, which essentially is a accumulation of the skills they learned on judging teams in previous years.
“We are extremely proud of these students for representing CSU during their award winning tenure,” Hoffman says and adds that there are several national champions on this team from judging teams of prior years.
“Judging programs in Animal Sciences and other departments are truly an area of training that will make our students better prepared for the rest of their lives,” comments Animal Sciences Department Chair Bill Wailes. “The skills developed with judging will be tools used every day and employers seek individuals with this experience.”