Applications for the 2013 National Jersey Queen Contest, held in conjunction with the All American Jersey Show and Sale, must be received in the AJCA office on or before Tuesday, October 15.
Click here for Application Form & Contest Scorecard
CONTEST RULES
Eligibility
Participants must be no younger than 16 years of age, and not older than 22, as of January 1, 2013. Membership in the American Jersey Cattle Association, junior or lifetime, is required.
In addition to the above, you must meet one of the following requirements: (1) be the Queen, Princess or member of the state association court for the current year in your state of residence; (2) be a regional Jersey queen for the current year; (4) have been a former state or regional Jersey queen; (4) are currently or have been an alternate in the National Jersey Queen Court; or (5) be an exhibitor in the 2013 All American Junior Jersey Show or Western National Junior Jersey Show. Previous National Jersey Queens are not eligible.
The National Jersey Queen and the alternates are expected to demonstrate current knowledge of the Jersey breed and the American dairy industry. All participants must complete the enclosed application to enter the contest, which must be received in the AJCA office on or before October 15. On this application, you must clearly indicate your involvement in the Jersey breed through your personal activities and participation in state and national organizations (such as the state Jersey association, 4-H, FFA and so forth). If you are involved in more than one breed, you must show clearly that Jerseys are your top priority.
All participants are required to attend and assist with these functions:
•Orientation Session and Social Hour, Friday, November 8, start time either 5:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. depending upon participant arrival times stated on application
•The All American Junior Jersey Show, Saturday, November 9
•National Jersey Jug Futurity, Sunday, November 10. If selected as National Jersey Queen or as one of the two alternates, you must attend the:
•National Jersey Jug Futurity, Sunday, November 10
•All American Jersey Sale (following the Futurity), and
•The All American Jersey Show, Monday, November 11
The National Jersey Queen is encouraged to attend other events throughout the year, including the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings, the Western National, and/or World Dairy Expo. Funding for approved activities is provided by the Charlene Nardone National Jersey Queen Fund.
Attendance at other local or state events throughout the year is optional, and must be coordinated by the Queen in advance with event organizers. However, financial support is not provided by the AJCA.
Contest Procedures
There are four elements in the judging.
•Application Form (Word document) (15 points). The judges will evaluate your application prior to the interview, including the responses you provide to the questions and the overall appearance of the materials presented.
•Interview (including personal appearance, 40 points). Each participant will meet with the judging panel for 15 minutes. You must be on time for the interview. There will be no make-up interviews if you miss your scheduled time.
•General Dairy and Jersey Breed Knowledge Test (15 points). It will include at least one-third Jersey breed questions.
•Prepared Presentation (including poise, content and knowledge displayed, 30 points). This segment assesses each participant’s ability to represent the Jersey breed through public speaking. The speaking situation is as follows: You have accepted an invitation to promote the Jersey breed and Jersey products to a group of non-farm consumers. However, you are not able to attend the event so the sponsors want to you record your talk to be played at the event.
The sponsors have given you these requirements for your talk. It must be between 1½ to 2 minutes. It must be delivered without notes. Record it for playback on a computer (.wmv file format or other Windows compatible file format required).
Scoring will be based on (1) your knowledge of the Jersey breed; (2) your ability to define and analyze the audience that you are speaking to, then accordingly select and present the breed’s selling points; (3) the organization and persuasiveness of your argument; and (4) your presentation skills, including creativity. Talks exceeding two (2) minutes will be penalized. Bring your recorded talk to Louisville and give it to the judges at your interview.
Banquet
The conclusion of the National Jersey Queen Contest will be incorporated into the Junior Banquet program. You will sit together for dinner at reserved tables in the front of the banquet hall. Immediately following dinner, you will be escorted to the stage in order to briefly (no more than 30 seconds) introduce yourself (state your name, where you are from, and tell about your involvement with Jerseys). After introductions have been completed, the top five participants will be announced and will return to the stage to answer a final question. The judges will then retire to make their decision.
The national Jersey youth awards and scholarships will then be presented, followed by the concluding announcement of the Queen and court. Immediately following the banquet, a reception will be held recognizing all junior winners.
Dress
Evening dress is appropriate during the banquet. Full-length formal dresses are not required and will be neither rewarded nor penalized in the judging.
You will assist with handing out the awards during Saturday’s All American Junior Show. For the Jersey Jug Futurity, you will distribute the programs before the show begins, and distribute and collect entry forms in the Railbird Judging Contest. Members of the Jersey Jug Committee will provide instructions on Sunday morning.
If you have any questions about the contest, contact Dr. Cherie L. Bayer, Director of Development, at 614/322-4456.
Headquarters Hotel
Interviews will be conducted at the headquarters hotel, which is the Hilton Garden Inn Louisville Airport, adjacent to fairgrounds at Gate 4. Mention the Jersey association when making room reservations: 502/637-2424. Make reservations early.