Ready, set, present
<p>Josh Wulfekuhle shows the judges his hurdling technique in his 4-H presentation. Wulfekuhle was a senior finalist. </p>
The second round of 4-H presentations took place Sunday in Plains
PLAINS – Local youths stood in the dark hallways holding their posters and props, anxiously awaiting their turn to present. One by one the doors opened and one by one the closed with the judges on the other side.
The second round of 4-H presentations took place Sunday, March 16 at Plains High School. Over one hundred students gave their demonstrations before the judges in the first round. The top 10 presentations in the junior age group, and the top 10 in the senior age group, competed in round two.
These 4-Hers went before the judges once again but his time they could make adjustments based on the feedback they received in the previous round. Each contender showed their individual skills and there was a wide variety of topics.
Marsada Sweet, age 13, did her presentation on kid care. February and March are what goat farmers call ‘kidding season’ and Sweet demonstrated how to take care of a baby goat. For props, she brought in two little kids that had just been born the day before.
The little guys cooperated well as Sweet showed the judges how to clean, bottle feed, remove horns and castrate the animals properly.
Junior age group member, 12-yer-old Rachel Ribeiro was the next to go. For her presentation, she showed the judges how to do a sock bun hairstyle. She explained how it was a good way to recycle a single sock. The hairstyle was easy to do and was suitable for special occasions.
Little Madison Suttorp, age 10, followed Ribeiro and she exhibited her gymnastics skills for her 4-H project. Although she had only studied gymnastics for a few months, Suttorp executed her moves flawlessly in front of the judges. She explained the importance of stretching beforehand. She then demonstrated how to do a cartwheel, round off and summersault.
This was Josh Wulfekuhle’s ninth year in 4-H. the topic of his presentation in the senior age group was hurdling. He began with a brief history of the sport and then demonstrated how to properly stretch before attempting hurdles. He then went through the technique and showed the judges different examples.
Joe Frields, age 16, followed after Wulfekuhle and his presentation was about snowboarding. He also began with the history of the sport. He said snowboarding was actually developed by a surfer in 1964 and it grew popular in the 1970s and 1980s. He then went through the required equipment and the different types of boards available as well as their different functions.
The judges marveled at how much they learned from the presentations. They enjoyed each one so choosing winners was difficult. The presenters are judged on several factors including organization, clarity and thoroughness.
The top four presenters of each age group were awarded prizes. According to 4-H Extension Agent Meghan Phillipe, the top four juniors receive a scholarship to summer camp unless they are 13 or older. If the winner in the junior age group is 13 or older, they receive a gift card to Murdoch’s Home and Supply store instead.
The top four presenters in the senior division will move on to compete before Congress at Montana State University in July.
The first-place winner in each age group also receiveed a trophy for round two.
The top four placers in the junior age division were Tressa Lyscio, Marsada Sweet, AJ Bronner and the first-place winner was Madison Suttorp.
In the senior age group, Josh Wulfekuhle finished in second place and Mahala Sweet and Abby Croft tied for first. The three will have the option to move forward to compete at MSU this summer.