BLINN CLAIMS CHAMPIONSHIP AT AMERICAN ROYAL LIVESTOCK JUDGING COMPETITION

  

The Blinn College livestock judging team defeated 26 other colleges to capture the championship at the first national competition of the season Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.

The victory marked Blinn’s first ever championship at the American Royal competition, though Blinn has captured victories at national competitions in seven of the last eight years.

A first-place finish in the reasons portion as well as top scores in sheep/goat judging, third place in swine and fifth in cattle propelled Blinn to the championship.

“The team was real excited to win that competition,” said Joe Rathmann, who coaches the team alongside Brice Mund.  “This is an intelligent group of kids and they have a good background and a great work ethic.”

In the competition, the teams evaluate 12 classes of cattle, hogs, sheep and goats. The judging competition is scored based on contestants ranking the animals within the classes and on an oral presentation of their reasoning. Fifty-one other schools competed in the competition, including 26 in Blinn’s division.

“We were pretty confident because of all the hard work we put in and the coaches pushing us hard leading up to the event,” said Brody Halfmann, a sophomore from Garden City.

Payton Warmke (Brenham) finished first in swine, third in sheep/goats and seventh in the individual overall. Quest Newberry (George West) placed eighth in sheep and 10th overall. Brantley Bordovsky (Port Lavaca) was fourth in cattle and 12th overall.

The team still has a full slate of events ahead as it travels to Louisville, Ky., in two weeks and Denver, Colo., in January. The team will also have in-state competitions in Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston.

For more information on Blinn’s Ag Sciences program, visit: www.blinn.edu/agriculture.