When you hear the term “Avian Bowl,” it may conjure up images of rolling a frozen chicken or turkey down a lane to knock down pins. If you are a 4-H member you probably know what Avian Bowl really means, and it is an admirable and challenging event!
The California team was composed of four teens from El Dorado County, members of the Dusty Dividers 4-H club. The four-person team was made up by Zachary and Kyle Schnetz from Georgetown and Hannah and Jesiah Neff of Greenwood. Months of hard practice and study paid off as they competed in the national event at University of Kentucky on November 17th. What is significant is that the California team came in second in the nationals. In the final championship round, California lost to Wisconsin.
What is Avian Bowl?
Avian Bowl is a 4-H quiz game to encourage youth to expand their knowledge of avian facts. The competitors study from a large manual, often creating sample questions and conducting practice rounds. They learn about ratites, embryology, poultry and egg markets, the commercial poultry industry, breeds, and more. Competitors buzz in and answer questions, thus they either receive or lose points depending on their answers. The team with the highest points is the winner. The teams can range from 2-4 members. The current team members have been competing in Avian Bowl for around three years, with their older siblings previously attending the national competition.
Getting to the National Competition
The process of getting to the nationals is quite daunting as well. After winning the State title in the qualifying competition in Fresno, they advanced to the national competition held at the National Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. California seeded second in the written test. In the first round where they participated, California played New York with a win of 35 to 5. They moved on to play Kentucky winning 10 to 0. In the third round they played Wisconsin, the team that had seeded first. They lost 10 to 45. They tied (making everyone nervous) but Wisconsin broke ahead and won the tiebreaker round and championship. This put the California team in second to the very competitive and deserving champions.
Congratulations Avian Bowl Team!
Note: The State 4-H office was able to help with funding the team to attend the national competition because of the generosity of donors to the California 4-H Foundation. Thank you for your support!
