RBC | The RBC 4-H Livestock Judging Team experienced an exceptional season in 2019.
Practice began in February with seven Jr. 4-H and 2 Sr. 4-H members on the team.
Hayden Shults, Matthew Willey and Eva Scritchfield were the veteran junior members who picked up four new teammates this season: Rilynn Brown, Jackson Hooper, Montey Franklin and Charlie Rogers. This year was fun as every junior member contributed to the consistent team placing interchangeably all season.
Shults and Willey anchored the junior team and they were recognized individually all season long. These two traveled to seven contests, judged more than 100 classes and gave more than 30 sets of reasons. Shults won the sheep and goat division at the TRA contest and was the second high individual in beef at the Black Out contest held at the Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. Willey won individual awards at the 4 Corners Ag Expo in Cortez, Colorado, and at the ADCO contest in Brighton, Colorado.
Rilynn Brown was the team’s outstanding rookie livestock judge as she traveled to four county contests this season and finished the year as the fourth high individual in the novice division and was a member of the fourth high overall team in Gunnison with Shults.
Jackson Hooper made the bus for the 4 Corners Ag Expo Contest and was recognized individually as well as a member of the third high junior team overall.
Montey Franklin and Charlie Rogers judged their first contest at the Routt County Invitational. Franklin was the fourth high individual in the sheep and goat division at Routt County.
The two senior judges, Marryn Shults and Tatumn Kennedy, were on a combined team with a teammate from Moffat County, Trinity Boulger, and put together a full senior team at the June conference at Colorado State. The new RIO FFAT Senior 4-H judging team was the fifth high team in reasons. Marryn Shults was the fifth high individual in reasons and Kennedy placed 11th overall in a challenging sheep and goat division. Boulger was a rookie livestock judge this season and it will be exciting to watch this team excel in 2020.
Marryn Shults is ranked fourth in the state on the Colorado 4-H Senior All State Livestock Judging Team. She will be recognized later this summer at the Colorado State Fair. This will mark the third All State Judging team spot for Marryn in her 4-H tenure. 2019 will mark nine consecutive years that a Rio Blanco County 4-H Livestock Judge has made the All-State Judging Team.
Special to the Herald Times
Courtesy Photos
Must have a good coach!