UMC--Grand Champions at NACTA (Again!)

Midnight, April 23, 1997, forty-seven students and their coaches departed for Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma--or as residents there affectionately call it, "No Man’s Land"--for the annual NACTA (National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture) competition to defend their championship title.

7:30 p.m., April 27, 1997, these students returned to Crookston as the Grand Champion Senior NACTA Team --AGAIN!

In between, and stretching back as far as September 1996, were many hours of study and fundraising in addition to their regular class workloads. So why do they do it? The NACTA contest is a great opportunity for students to gain more professional experience in their majors as well as new areas. It is also an exciting way to expand horizons!

This year’s competition included eight contests: computers, meat judging, dairy judging, horticulture, crops, soils, horse judging, and general livestock. UMC’s NACTA delegation fielded individual competitors in each contest and teams in all but the general livestock contest. The participants studied very hard to prepare for the contests--this on top of regular classwork, sandbagging (to help prevent local floods), and fundraising. Snow days afforded many hours of concentrated preparation.

Fund-raising efforts included: Saturday car washes from November to April with an average of ten students working eight-hour days during -40° temperatures, blizzards, rain and ice storms; helping the Horticulture club move into their new head house; and assisting the Agriculture Management Division with a phon-a -thon, calling seniors who participated in UMC’s Ag-Activities day.

NACTA competitions have been held since 1957 and involve students from across the country in knowledge and skills contests covering various agricultural topics. The competition is tought, including college and university students from all across the nation. The event is held in different areas of the country each year to give students an opportunity to travel to areas they may otherwise never visit and agricultural colleges the responsibility of hosting the competition.

Dave Hoff was the NACTA Coordinator, Jon Fridgen served as NACTA Student Chairperson, and several faculty and staff coached the teams.

UMC's 1997 NATCA teams and their awards are as follows:

Computers
Coach: Peggy Sherven
Team: Jolene Beiswenger, Dave Berglind, Marlene Raddatz, Abigail Chervestad

Individual Placings
Written Exam-1^st Dave Berglind
Computer Applications-1^st Jolene Beiswenger
Overall-1^st Jolene Beiswenger, 4^th Dave Berglind, 5^th Marlene Raddatz

Team Placings
1^st in Written Exam, Computer Applications, and Overall

Crops
Coach: Chuck Habstritt
Team: Mike Flint, Jon Fridgen, Korey Hegreberg, Marcus Meiners, Bill Shores, Gwen Mars

Individual Placings
Identification- 3^rd Jon Fridgen
Overall-4^th Jon Fridgen

Team Placings
2^nd in Agronomic Quiz, Identification, Lab Practical, and Overall

Dairy Judging
Coach: Dr. Lyle Westrom
Team: Cory Harms, Shawn Meyer, Angie Roering, Matt Volker, Jon Ackerman, Kirsten Trimble

Individual Placings
Oral Reasons-3^rd Cory Harms
Overall-7^th Shawn Meyer

Horse Judging
Coaches: Dr. Melissa Hower, Sharon Escue
Team: Chuckie Raguse, Tricia Robinson, Tamara Samson, Kerri Glasel, Melissa Pender

Individual Placings
Placings-1^st Tamara Samson

Team Placings
1^st in Placings
3^rd in Overall

Horticulture
Coach: Sue Jacobson
Team: Laura Teske, Renae Hartwig, Nancy Hanson, Naomi Lilja, Cari Farbo

Individual Placings
Identification-2^nd Laura Teske
Judging-1^st Renae Hartwig, 2^nd Laura Teske, 3^rd Naomi Lilja
Technical Knowledge-1^st Nancy Hanson
Overall-1^st Laura Teske, 4^th Renae Hartwig

Team Placings
1^st in Judging and Technical Knowledge
2^nd in Identification and Overall

Livestock Judging
Contestant: Tamilee Nennich

Meats Judging
Coach: Dr. Harvey Peterson
Team: Jeff Bock, Byron Fischer, Tracy Olson, Dayle Rockensock

Individual Placings
Overall placing- 3^rd Jeff Bock

Team Placings
3^rd in Beef placings, and Overall
4^th in Team High

Soils
Coach: Dr. Aziz Rahman
Team: Trevor Brekken, Ivan Reinke, Lance Reitmeier, Trevor Dale, Josh Carlson

Written by UMC Senior, Dayle Rockensock 04/28/97

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