Young Holstein enthusiasts showcased their dairy knowledge during the Dairy Bowl, Dairy Jeopardy, and Dairy Knowledge Exam competitions at the 2024 National Holstein Convention held June 24-27 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“These three competitions involved over 250 youth,” says Diedra Harkenrider, director of development and fundraising for the Holstein Foundation. “During the day, these Juniors are competitors. By evening, they gather for games, dancing, and fun. Developing friendships with youth members from around the country is a huge benefit of the National Junor Holstein Convention.”
Dairy Jeopardy
Sixty-three contestants from 21 states competed in the Dairy Jeopardy competition. The contest is based on the popular television game show and features a wide range of dairy-related questions in numerous categories. The following are the top three individuals in each age division.
Junior Division (ages 9 to 13)
1st: Emma Mast, California
2nd: Daphne Frericks, Minnesota
3rd: Meghan Brauning, Maryland
Intermediate Division (ages 14 to 17)
1st: Elsie Donlick, New York
2nd: Jillian Anderson, Pennsylvania
3rd: Kyle Ainger, Illinois
Senior Division (ages 18 to 21)
1st: Annika Donlick, New York
2nd: Kristen Houser Whitehill, Pennsylvania
3rd: Rachel Craun, Virginia
Dairy Bowl
In the National Dairy Bowl contest, four-person teams compete within two age divisions: Junior, ages 9-15, and Senior, ages 16-21. The competition was intense this year, with a total 26 teams from 18 states competing in two divisions.
Facing off in the Junior Division championship match were the teams from New York and Pennsylvania. Taking home champion honors were the team members from Pennsylvania; Ian Briechle, Aiden Empet, Madison Soden, Selah Lewis, and coach Mike Kowaleski.
Competing on the New York team were Josiah Freier, Abigail Freier, Noah Lovell, Luke Taylor, coach Dale Freier, and assistant coach Jonathan Taylor. Rounding out the top five Junior Dairy Bowl teams were Illinois in third, New England in fourth, and California in fifth place.
In the Senior Division, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin vied for the first-place title. Members of the winning Pennsylvania team included Madelynn Hoffman, Alexa Hoffman, Jacob Bramm, AJ Wanner, and coach Epsucheolige Hoffman.
On the second-place Senior team from Wisconsin were Logan Harbaugh, Jacob Harbaugh, Evan Jauquet, Sydney Gwidt, Claire Betley, and coaches Sara Harbaugh and Heather Jaquet. The team from New England took home third place, with New York following in fourth and Iowa in fifth.
George & Anna Smith Sportsmanship awards are given to one Dairy Bowl team in each division who best exemplify the principles of courtesy, friendliness, and team spirit throughout the competition. Each team receives a cash award and plaque.
In the Junior Division, the award was presented to the Wisconsin team, consisting of members Tristen Ostrom, Evan Brey, Ian Brick, Alivia Wiese, and coach Peggy Coffeen. In the Senior Division, the honor went to the team from New England with members Katelyn Poitras, Lorryn Trujillo, Sydney Bullard, Charlie Haynes, and coach Nicole Schwab.
Dairy Knowledge Exam
The Dairy Knowledge Exam is open to any youth attending the National Junior Holstein Convention who wants to challenge their dairy expertise with a 25-question written test. This year, 170 youth gook the written test. Like Dairy Bowl, youth are divided into two groups by age. The top three individuals in each division for the Dairy Knowledge Exam were as follows.
Junior Division
1st: Josiah Freier, New York
2nd: Landon Jenkins, Pennsylvania
3rd: Fernando Valadao, California
Senior Division
1st: Elsie Donlick, New York
2nd: Annika Donlick, New York
3rd: Jon Chapman, California
Congratulations to all the contestants who participated and found success during the 2024 National Holstein Convention! For more information about Holstein Foundation youth programs, visit www.holsteinfoundation.org, or contact Diedra Harkenrider, Director of Development of the Holstein Foundation and Holstein Association USA, at dharkenrider@holstein.com.