LINCOLN -- The "sport of chicken-judging" as Lincoln Vocational Agriculture teacher Sarah Hale describes Future Farmer's of America Poultry Judging has risen to a whole new level.
Lincoln's FFA Chapter brought home a national championship, won while competing in the 2017 FFA Poultry Judging Career Development Event during the National FFA Convention & Expo Oct. 25-28 at Indianapolis, Ind. That title came on the heels of a state championship won by Poultry Judging team members: Kali Brewer, Shayla Fox, Shylynn Osborne, and Lacie Carte, in April, which qualified them for nationals.
Lincoln FFA advisor Kevin Barenberg coached the championship team yet is quick to give credit to Hale for her contributions to the program.
"They make Miss Hale and I very proud," Barenberg said of the Poultry Judging team. "I would be remiss if I did not give huge amounts of credit to Sarah Hale as well as the other two teams we had at nationals.
Lincoln's Food Science team placed fifth and the Dairy Cattle team also competed.
"The Poultry Judging was the only National Championship won by FFA in our state this year," Barenberg said. "As of a matter of fact, we (Lincoln) had the top two teams in judging competition from the State of Arkansas for this year."
Barenberg realizes the accomplishment puts the Poultry Judging team in very select company. In 1974, the Lincoln FFA Chapter won a National Championship in Poultry Judging.
"That was the first ever National Championship won by any FFA team in the State of Arkansas," Barenberg said. "We haven't won one since. The only other one we ever won in a Career Development Event was in Horse Judging in 2012."
Sports on 11/22/2017