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A college of champions ByKylene
Orebaugh, Dodge City, Kan. & CASNR
has 26 student organizations as well as 12 judging teams. In addition,
the college has ties to the OSU women's equestrian and rodeo teams.
The
national titles and championships these groups earn bring recognition
to the teams and to their individual members. These honors also reflect
positively on CASNR and the university as a whole. "Competing
at a national level brings recognition to the university," said
Ed Miller, CASNR assistant dean. "Winning is always nice, but it
shows what students here learn and that they know how to use what they
have learned." Competitive
teams and organizational activities within CASNR come from the talent,
dedication and strong recruitment efforts put forth by coaches and advisers. Recruitment
occurs for many teams, especially when there is an opportunity to defend
national titles and keep the university positively associated with the
activity or organization. For example, the livestock judging team actively
recruits members from high schools and junior colleges. "I
came to OSU because of the livestock judging team," said Kim Cerny,
animal science senior. "I knew the caliber of the program, and
I admired the quality of the past members of OSU's team I had met." Alumni
support is also a part of the success of CASNR's judging teams. Their
continued support by providing scholarships and allowing teams to practice
at their facilities has helped the teams to be part of the winning tradition.
Alumni donations and assessment funds also help pay for students' travel
and contest expenses. "We
rely on the support of successful alums to assure the continued emphasis
on the vital parts of our animal science department," said Kim
Brock, former coach of the livestock judging team. In 2001-2002, two CASNR teams earned national championship titles: the livestock judging team and the women's rodeo team. In addition, the horticulture team won the coveted Southern Regional championship title. Individually, Mark Johnson was named National Coach of the Year in livestock judging, and Janae Ward was the national champion intercollegiate barrel racer. Nation's
best livestock judges Previous
to Louisville, the 11-member team won the American Royal livestock judging
contest in Kansas City, Mo., and set a new high point record. It was
the first time in 11 years OSU had won the two contests back to back. Every
year at Louisville, the champion teams from 10 and 40 years ago are
recognized at the awards ceremony. All teams recognized this year in
Louisville were from OSU. Both former winning teams had members present
at the awards ceremony when OSU claimed this year's championship trophy. "It
was a great feeling to know our team was a part of history," said
Grant Turner, animal science senior. "Having our alumni there made
the win even more special." During
their judging season, the team worked out two times a week and traveled
almost every weekend to either compete or practice. The time was spent
learning to evaluate different species of livestock and deliver effective
oral reasons. "Several
people told me our performances at the final two contests were the most
dominant they had ever seen," Johnson said. "When I evaluate
our performance at Kansas City and Louisville, it says a great deal
about the talent and ability of the entire team." Students
of CASNR, as well as the faculty and staff of the college, are just
as excited and proud of the team's accomplishments. The wins emphasize
the quality of the college and OSU students. "It was such a great feeling to have your peers congratulate you," said Jeremy Burr, animal science senior. "It makes you realize what you have done for your college. I never realized how much it means to everyone else to have us win a national title." More
than just flowers
"I
learned a lot about horticulture [while] preparing for the contest,"
said Erika Brooks, horticulture senior. "Being on the team was
a great experience, one you don't have in a classroom setting." Seven
students represented the horticulture department at the contest. Four
competed as a team, and the rest were classified as individuals. The
students began preparing for the contest in November by going to the
OSU greenhouses for several hours each week. "We
had a good team this year because of the members' dedication to work
and their background," said Janet Cole, professor of ornamental
horticulture and team coach. "The fact that they were willing to
prepare and put in a lot of time outside of practice to learn plants
and names shows their level of dedication."
.Intercollegiate
rodeo contestants compete in regional rodeos to qualify for the College
Rodeo Championship Series and the College National Finals Rodeo. The
CRCS was established to make the qualifying process for CNFR a more
objective process. "I
think the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association has created a CNFR
qualifying procedure that sends the best college cowboys and cowgirls
to the finals," said Sarah Neely, NIRA director of public relations
and administration. At
the 2001 CNFR in Casper, Wyo., nearly 450 contestants from across the
United States competed for more than $200,000 in scholarships and prizes. "Honestly,
I didn't think we had a chance of winning as a team, being all barrel
racers," said Janae Ward, accounting junior. "Toward the end
of the week it was starting to sink in - we might have a chance, because
the other teams were having some problems." Ultimately,
seven-hundredths of a second separated Ward and 2001 OSU aluma Julia
Warner for the national barrel racing title. Junior Gretchen Benbenek
was eighth, securing the national team title. Ward later expanded her
honors to include a December 2001 trip to the National Finals Rodeo
in Las Vegas, earning a total of $88,568 for the season. Coach
Terry Hyman said winning a national title brings recognition to OSU
as the place to come and rodeo. "We're
building for the future, and now recruits know it's possible to come
to OSU and win a national championship," Hyman said. The
Agronomy Club has been named Most Outstanding Agronomy Club in the nation
every year for the last 12 years. Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow
has earned more than 150 awards at their national contest for the Cowboy
Journal magazine and individual entries. In addition, other clubs and
teams have been national champions in the past, including the soils
team, the horse judging team, the biosystems and agricultural engineering
tractor pull team and the meats judging team. Each
win shows the quality of students in the college, and also the quality
of the faculty who take the time to shape and mold the students. It
would not be possible to compete and win at a national level without
them, said Miller. "Students learn more when they are involved in these organizations than they ever could in a traditional classroom," said Miller. "Competing with other schools is a gauge of how well we are doing preparing our students. Winning is proof of the good job we are doing." 2001
Livestock Judging Team 2002
Horticulture Team 2001
Women’s Rodeo Team |
Many
people know that Oklahoma State University has the most national championship
titles of any 
The
contest consisted of judging 10 classes of fruits and nuts, 10 classes
of vegetables, five classes of greenhouse foliages and floral plants,
and five classes of woody plants. In addition, contestants were required
to identify 20 greenhouse and woody plants by scientific name.