Recently, Pennsylvania 4-H youth from across the state competed in the 4-H Animal Bowl and Skillathon Day at Penn State’s University Park campus. The event hosted various competitions, including avian bowl, dairy bowl, horse bowl, hippology, livestock skillathon, and rabbit and cavy bowl and skillathon.
“This is an opportunity for youth to deepen their knowledge of their 4-H project interest area,” said Kirsten Dubbs, Penn State Extension 4-H animal science program specialist. “They’re learning about all different aspects of animal science related to a particular species and using that information in the contest.”
During skillathons, youth showcase their animal science knowledge by identifying feed and hay samples, judging classes of animals, and identifying a variety of animal equipment and breeds of animals. They also complete a written knowledge test and evaluate and rank animal groups. Some skillathon contests involve team problems, in which youth collaborate to identify and solve a series of practical animal management challenges.
Similarly, bowl contests offer youth a chance to demonstrate and deepen their understanding of animal science. Bowl contestants compete to see who can answer the most animal science questions correctly when time matters.
In these events, youth demonstrate their knowledge of animal care and ownership; animal health and biosecurity; quality assurance and food safety; animal housing and facilities; ethics and communication; and other topics.
Junior participants are 10-13 years old, while senior competitors range from 14-18 years old.
The avian bowl contest awarded first place to the senior team of Aurielle Miller, of Clinton County, and Olivia Himes, of Centre County.
In the dairy bowl, first place went to the senior team of Alexa Hoffman, Lathyn Stern, Marcus Ortiz, Aiden Balmer and Ethan Hoffman, of Lancaster County. The winning junior team was comprised of Ashtyn Gehringer, Andrea Hix, Elaina Fox and Easton Sattazahn, of Berks County.
The hippology contest awarded first place to the senior team of Taylor Mellish, of Erie County; Drew McGraw and Jaesa McGraw, of Lawrence County; and Annabelle Ewing, of Huntingdon County. Mellish also won first place in the senior individual competition. In the junior division, the team of Piper Appel, Callie Nicodemus, Sophia Wilson and April Mearkle, of Bedford County, won first place. Nicodemus was ranked top individual in the junior competition.
In the horse bowl, the team of Teagan Ballentine and Adele Hohn, of Butler County, and Claire Duncan and Riley McGraw, of Lawrence County, won the senior division. Laurel Gray and Lauren Mellish, of Erie County, and Poppy Goble and Remmy Locke, of Huntingdon County, earned first place in the junior category.
For the livestock skillathon, the Huntingdon County team of John Eaken, Cody Flasher, Sheridan McGargle and McKenzi Harpster earned first place. Daniel Kelly, of Montgomery County, won the senior individual category. In the junior division, the team of Sage Frankenfield, Josephine Antonucci and Charlotte Kurtz, of Montgomery County, earned first place. Frankenfield earned first place in the individual rankings.
The rabbit and cavy bowl awarded first place to the Westmoreland County team of Sara Forry, Molly Davis and Cailin Knopp.
In the rabbit and cavy skillathon, Knopp earned first place in the senior individual category. Kylie Woodward, of Crawford County, won first place in the junior individual division.
Dubbs noted that many of these contests offer senior participants the chance to qualify for various national competitions.
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the United States Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Pennsylvania 4-H website at https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-h/counties.
