The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Quiz Bowl and Poultry Judging teams heading to nationals
The Lorain County 4-H Quiz Bowl and Poultry Judging teams will compete at the Quiz Bowl Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 14 and are raising funds for the trip.
The team is hosting a spaghetti dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Oberlin VFW, 42369 Oberlin Elyria Road in Elyria.
Lu Phillips, head coach of the Quiz Bowl and Poultry Judging teams, said the county quiz bowl and poultry teams comprises 4-H participants educated on poultry, birds and rabbits.
Phillips said it is similar to an academic challenge, and 4-H members from ages 9 to 18 can participate without raising animals.
Members learn about the different types of birds and rabbits and their physical health, diet, breed, nutrition, how to reproduce, facts about poultry and how to grade eggs until they are right for consumption.
Teams can focus on birds and rabbits in the Avian Bowl or poultry in the Poultry Judging teams.
Team members are in senior or junior classes and competed Aug. 4 at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus.
Phillips said her Avian Bowl and Poultry Judging team took first place at the state fair, with a number of the team members placing first or with a top ranking.
This is the third year the quiz bowl has been in the county and competing at state, Phillips said.
This year, they had three teams place at the state fair with a senior and junior team placing in first and another junior team finishing third, she said.
The county quiz bowl competed against 32 youngsters in the Avian Bowl and 60 in poultry, Phillips said.
The Rabbit Bowl took place during a separate competition July 7, where seniors took second and juniors took fourth.
Phillips said there are no national teams for Rabbit Bowl.
“It’s so awesome how these kids have grown and how much they’ve learned since we first started the Lorain County Quiz Bowl,” she said. “I’m so blessed because they all bring something different, coming from different clubs.
“The kids are willing to
work hard and study hard. I love every one of them,” Phillips said. “It’s an eclectic group that does a really awesome job together. They’re really close kids.”
Russell Laux, 17, said being a part of the bowl really brought him out of his shell.
“I’ve become more confident when speaking with others and have learned more than I thought I would ever know being in the avian bowl,” Russell said.
Zach Slimak, 18, said they were on the first Avian Bowl for Lorain County.
“At first, none of us knew what we were doing, but we ended up doing well,” Slimak said. “We were determined for the next year and ended up going to nationals in California.”
He said being a part of quiz bowl is an exciting experience, especially when
making it to nationals and travelling across the country meeting different people.
Tori Dular, 15, said nationals is an unforgettable experience.
“We are super hyped to go for poultry judging because we didn’t expect to do as well as we did,” Tori said. “It was really cool and we all did really well.
“I know that we’re going to have a lot of fun when we go to nationals.”
Phillips said their goal as a group is to raise $5,000 to $8,000 to attend nationals this year.
Ticket prices for the spaghetti dinner are still being determined, she said.
Those with further questions can email LC4HAvianBowl@yahoo.com.