Over 50 students, 8-21 years old, participated in the Larry Higgins Junior Judging competition at the National Western Stock Show on Friday, January 19, 2024. This annual event is held in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show (NWSS), the National Bison Association (NBA) Winter Conference, and the Gold Trophy Show and Sale (GTSS).
Junior Judging participants gathered to hear instructions for the competition.
John Graves awarded Junior Judging winners.
Hosted by RMBA President, John Graves, students were asked to observe and rank four different classes of animals. They then scored and presented oral reasons to a panel of judges. The combined total of both scores led to the following winners:
Individual Winners
Junior Division
1st – Gus Hester, 2nd – Lilyko Suzuki, 3rd – Riley Edling
Senior Division
1st – Brandon Hensley, 2nd – Nate Engstrand, 3rd – Bennett Morrison
Collegiate Division
1st – Hayden Holwick, 2nd – Caiden Healey, 3rd -Hannah Wiskus
Team Winners
Participants could also elect to participate in a team of 3 to 4 students.
- First Place: Eastern Wyoming College (Caiden Healey, McKaylee Widdison, Kasey Krenzer)
- Second Place: West Texas A&M (Mia Encinias, Hayden Holwick, George Greybill, Kaden Husband)
- Third Place: Eastern Wyoming College (Garrett Greene, Hannah Wiskus, Simon Raff, Jordan Spall)
Congratulations to all winners!
Scholarships
Thanks to some very generous donors, scholarships were provided to the top three winners of the Senior and Collegiate divisions.
Senior Division
- 1st place: $1,000 scholarship provided by Twin Brooks Farm
- 2nd place: $750 scholarship provided by the North American Bison Discovery Center
- 3rd place: $500 scholarship provided by bison veterinarian Dr. Gerald Parsons
Collegiate Division
- 1st place: $1,500 scholarship provided by the National Buffalo Foundation
- 2nd place: $1,200 scholarship provided by the Rocky Mountain Bison Association
- 3rd place: $900 scholarship provided by Rocky Mountain Natural Meats
Thank You
RMBA would like to thank the following people for making the 2024 competition one of our best yet:
- Scholarship Sponsors
- GTSS Buffaleros
- Dr. Charles Addington, Chase and Brittany Addington
- NBA intern Meredith Halweg
- NBA