Columbus, Ohio – On June 19, the American Guernsey Youth Association held their annual awards dinner as a part of the National Guernsey Convention and 139th Annual Meeting in Walnut Creek, Ohio.
The celebration honored youth from across the country for their accomplishments in production as well as their participation in the week’s many youth competitions. The event was hosted by Seth Kohler and Robin Alden with help from Executive Secretary Brian Schnebly as well as the 2014 Guernsey Royalty, Queen Robin Kime and Princess Laura Jensen.
The first awards presented were for achievements in production. Any cow that completed a record in 2014 and is owned by a junior member of the American Guernsey Association is eligible for production awards. Individual cow winners were owned by Jamie Trotter of Pennsylvania, Cara Trotter of Pennsylvania, Hannah Wilson of Maryland, Emily Hellendrung of Wisconsin and Daniel Ripley of New York. The Group of Three awards were presented to Jamie Trotter, Cara Trotter, Daniel Ripley, Esther Ripley of New York, Evelyn Ripley of New York and Lauren Robison of Illinois. Receiving the title of National Junior Gold Star Breeders were Lauren Robison, Cara Trotter, Esther Ripley and Jenny McKenna of New York. Receiving the title of National Junior Progressive Breeders were Cara Trotter and Samantha Klingler of Pennsylvania. The annual Guernsey Gold Production Contest winners were also announced. The Guernsey Gold contest begins when junior members purchase selected Guernsey Gold heifers in sales across the nation. The winners are based on the animal’s first lactation protein record. This year’s winner, Kaila Stoltzfus, East Earl, Pennsylvania, received $1,254.00 from the pot. Second place was Kyle Erickson of Washington; third place went to Paul Myers of Maryland; and fourth place went to Ryan Erickson of Washington. Also participating were Khloe Kohl of Oregon, Marissa Burroughs of New York and Clayton Miller of Ohio.
The next awards presented were for the youth competitions that took place during the week of the National Convention. The folding display contest consists of creating a folding display that is on display throughout the week. The winners were: Junior Division, Makenzie Greaves of Florida; Intermediate Division, Jessica Schmitt of Iowa; Senior Division, Alex Pluskot of Florida.
The photo contest consists of presenting a photo that is also on display for the week of convention. There are no age divisions in the photo contest. The winner was Esther Ripley. Second place went to Courtney Goodman of Ohio and third to Austin Holcomb of Florida.
Quiz bowl consists of junior and senior divisions, with teams of four competing head-to-head to show off their knowledge of Guernseys and the dairy industry. Seven senior teams participated. The winning team was Ohio, coached by Bonnie Ayars and Mike Janic with team members Kate Sherman, Amber Dietz, Levi Plocher and Nicole Walker. Second place went to Pennsylvania, coached by Melissa Kohler with team members Matthew Leise, Amber Kirk, Ayla Blatt and Cara Trotter. The MVP of the senior division was Ayla Blatt. Eight junior teams competed in quiz bowl. The winning team was North Carolina, coached by Marjie Grubb with team members Melanie Garner, Alex King, Will Dinsmore and Kyle Richardson. Second place went to Pennsylvania, coached by Melissa Kohler with team members Conner Ealy, Dalan Ealy, Mackenzie Blatt and Ben Pifer. MVP of the junior division was Makenzie Blatt.
The National Guernsey Convention offers two speaking contests, Prepared Public Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking. Prepared speakers must provide a speech topic before convention and then give that speech. The winners of each division then presented their speeches at the adult awards dinner on June 18. Junior division winner was Libby Sutton of Florida. Intermediate winner was Ayla Blatt. Senior winner was Amber Dietz. Extemporaneous speakers are given a choice of three topics, and then have only 30 minutes to prepare a speech. Junior winner was Austin Holcomb. Intermediate winner was Macy Walason of Pennsylvania. Senior winner was Jenny McKenna.
After the production and contest awards, four scholarships were handed out to Guernsey junior members enrolled in college. The National Guernsey Youth Scholarship is given annually by the American Guernsey Association and was awarded to Jenny McKenna. The Seth & Genevieve Schnebly Memorial Scholarship is given to a student who shows a commitment to the Guernsey breed by regularly attending conventions, amongst other criteria, and was awarded to Sandra Krone of Pennsylvania. The Max Dawdy Scholarship was presented to Cara Trotter. The Turley Scholarship is given to honor Ralph and Martha Turley, and applicants must have exhibited at a National Guernsey Show in the past three years. The two winners of the Turley Scholarship were Robin Kime of Iowa and Jenny McKenna.
Once the scholarships were complete and 2014 Queen Robin Kime gave her final address, it was time to announce the 2015 royalty. Queen contestants came from seven different states. First, Haley Fisher of Kentucky was named Miss Congeniality. Jenny McKenna was crowned as the 2015 Queen, and Cara Woloohojian of Rhode Island joins her as the 2015 Princess.
The final award presented was the National Outstanding Guernsey Youth award, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a junior Guernsey member. The recipient was Marshall Overholt of Ohio. Jenny McKenna was named the runner up.
Following the celebration, convention-goers returned to the Carlisle Inn for the annual Youth Fun Auction, which raised over $8,000 for the American Guernsey Youth Fund.
The American Guernsey Association is based in Columbus, Ohio and is dedicated to the advancement and promotion of Guernsey dairy cows and products.
