4-H Competition Days finals
ROBYN STRATFORD, a 15-year-old from Plains, took top honors in the Senior level in the finals of 4-H Competition Days last Sunday at Plains School. She is pictured presenting a slide show to judges on how to select and purchase piglets to raise for show and sale at the Sanders County Fair, titled “This Little Piggy.” (Carolyn Hide photos/Clark Fork Valley Press)
JONAH LEISZ was a Junior platform finalist at 4-H Competition Days for his "sparky" talk on cleaning spark plugs and tools.
COBY GUENZLER knows something very few kids in his generation do — how to pull a calf when the birthing mama needs help. Coby was a 4-H Communication Days finalist with a detailed speech, “Preparing for Calving,” which included how to prevent infection, weigh the calf, and keep its heart going with epinephrine if needed.
Kids these days. Seems like nothing intimidates them.
Though public speaking is often touted as the thing people fear more than death, Sanders County 4-H youth showed that when you know your stuff, you have nothing to fear.
Picked out of a crowd of brave and knowledgeable speakers at last week’s “Communication Days” event in Thompson Falls and Hot Springs, twenty finalists from across the county demonstrated their expertise in topics from French toast to geckos, writing grants to pulling calves, piglets to parkour. Presenters showed equanimity and adaptability when unpredicted circumstances arose, such as a computer glitch, a late audience member entering the room, or a sick animal that couldn’t come to be shown. Because of so many top-caliber competitors reaching the finals competition, organizers needed to take the unusual step of having two groups (“platforms”) at the junior level that were then compared for final results.
The judges, seasoned from years of experience, and fresh off last week’s challenge, were ready with thought-provoking questions such as, “Does a bearded dragon’s tongue come out of the front of its mouth, like a frog, or the back?” Unfazed, even answers of “I don’t know” were handled with professional-level consideration and aplomb.
IN THE Junior category, ages 13 and younger, there was a tie for first place between Kara Christensen (age 10) of Hot Springs with “How to Make a Pearler Bead Design,” and Mikiah Cook (12) of Plains with “The Wondrous Journey of Snow.” Rounding out the top four were Plains’ Andrew Wrobleski (10) presenting “Parkour” and Claire Wrobleski (12) on “The March of the Piano.” Each of these winners are offered a full scholarship to 4-H summer camp, sponsored by the 4-H Council.
At the Senior level, ages 14 and above, Plains’ Robyn Stratford (15) took top honors with a slide show presentation on how to select and purchase piglets to raise for show and sale at the Sanders County Fair, titled “This Little Piggy.” Martin Wrobleski (15) of Plains placed second with “How to Pick a Christmas Tree,” and Ben Croft (15), Thompson Falls, placed third explaining the process of “Grant Writing.” From this event are selected up to four people with presentations judged worthy of state competition. These three plus Holly Stratford (14), Plains who presented “Music History for Dummies.” were selected and will be offered scholarships from the 4-H Council to compete at 4-H Congress in Bozeman in July. Scholarship funds are paid for with the annual 4-H fruit and coffee sales and other donations.