Michigan 4-H dairy quiz bowl team places fourth at national contest

Kendra Van Order<vanorde4@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension -

Updated from an original article written by Melissa Elischer.

Four Michigan 4-H youth traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to compete at the national 4-H quiz bowl contest. The team battled through several rounds and took home the fourth overall team award.

Michigan 4-H national quiz bowl team
The Michigan 4-H dairy quiz bowl team at the backdrop at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville. Members from left to right: Landon Thelen, Sophia Neilsen, Willow Evans and Cassiday Harris. Photo courtesy of Kendra Van Order.

Each November, the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) marks the final national educational contest of the 4-H dairy year. The North American Invitational 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl, hosted by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Kentucky, brings together 4-H members and coaches from across the U.S. to demonstrate their vast dairy knowledge in a fast-paced, double elimination contest.

The event starts on a Friday night with a written quiz, which determines how the teams will be seeded in the brackets for the next morning. Following the written exam, there is a pizza party for teams to meet and mingle with each other. Often youth and coaches are familiar with peers from other academic contests, such as dairy judging or dairy management.

The teams have an early night, so they are ready for a battle of the buzzers the next morning. Based on the brackets, teams face off in a series of questions where they must buzz in to provide an answer. If correct, points are awarded; if incorrect, the opposing team has a chance to answer. After five team questions and 20 toss-up questions, points are totaled and the teams move on to the winners’ or losers’ bracket. After two losses, the team is eliminated from the contest and is free to watch other rounds to see which state comes out victorious.

MICHIGAN 2024 QUIZ BOWL.JPG
The Michigan 4-H dairy quiz bowl team with Coach Rod Pennock and Clinton County 4-H Program Coordinator Corissa Harris. Photo courtesy of Danny Bowlin.

This year, four youth from Clinton County represented Michigan 4-H at the national contest. All four of these youth placed in the top 10 as individuals at the Michigan 4-H state contest in June. Team members from Clinton County were Willow Evans, Cassidy Harris, Sophia Nielsen and Landon Thelen. They were coached by Michigan State University Extension 4-H volunteers Rod Pennock, Cameron Cook and Miriah Nash. The team placed fourth overall and had a great learning experience at the contest. Congratulations, team!

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