Chambana Sun

Illinois 4-H teams have achieved a historic milestone at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky. For the first time, Illinois 4-H won both the National 4-H Quiz Bowl and the National 4-H Skillathon in the same year. Additionally, the Illinois 4-H livestock judging team earned reserve national champion honors in the National 4-H Livestock Judging Contest.

Eric Fugate, coach of these successful teams from Mahomet, Illinois, expressed his pride in their achievements. “Coaching these kids is easy,” he said. “All I do is wind them up and turn them loose. Their thirst for new livestock knowledge is incredible and they not only seek out skills but then make it their job to teach their teammates.”

Fugate emphasized that participation in these events offers significant academic and career development benefits. He noted that students often excel in introductory animal science courses due to their experiences with the competitions.

The Illinois 4-H Skillathon Team secured first place with a score of 1,568 points. Team members included Davis Howell from DeWitt County, Ellie Drach and Hannah Miller from Livingston County, and Adam Stuckemeyer from Effingham County. Individual highlights included Hannah Miller placing third overall and Davis Howell placing sixth overall.

The victorious Illinois 4-H Quiz Bowl Team comprised Blaine Homann from Coles County, Chase Hummel from Kankakee County, Isabel Pistorius from Christian County, Hunter Shike and Olivia Shike from Champaign County. They were coached by Eric Fugate and Dale Hummel. Chase Hummel placed second overall individually while Olivia Shike took third place.

The livestock judging team was also successful as reserve national champions. The team included Braydon DeCounter of Fulton County, Cole Freebairn of LaSalle County, Carter Hoge of McDonough County, Anna Webel of Knox County, and Slone Windish of Peoria County under coach Nate Brookshire's guidance.

Brookshire praised his team's efforts: “Coaching the Illinois State 4-H team has been a tremendously rewarding experience for myself.” He added that beyond awards, participants gain invaluable life skills through these competitions.

Both coaches acknowledged support from the Illinois State 4-H office and Foundation which made participation possible.