Members of the Garden City Community College Meats Team started their year by competing in the 2007 National Western Meats Contest in Greeley, Colo.
The contest was in Greeley, Colo., Monday, Jan. 15. Students making up the GCCC team in the Jan. 15 event included Blake Sanders and Karley Hurley, both from Garden City; Mandy Rollins, Satanta; and Leah Wright, Sublette. Alternates included Danny Koons, Lakin; Sabrina Branscum, Ulysses; Ashley Lorenzo, Winchester; Melissa Schritter, Goodland; and Amanda Myers, Garden City.
The group had some bad luck and could only master the ninth place team position, according to Coach Clint Alexander.
"The team had a rough day on most everything except for Pork Judging," Alexander said. "We were caught by the ice storm, which didn't allow us to practice much before the contest."
In individual results, Sanders took 13th overall with 906 points, as well as fifth in Pork Judging and ninth in the Questions event. Rollins earned 15th overall, taking first in Beef Judging and sixth in Total Beef; with Wright earning eighth in Pork Judging. Koons received eighth high alternate status overall.
In addition, Alexander was recently selected to serve on the official committee for the 2006 International Meats Contest, conducted at Tyson Fresh Meats in Dakota City, Neb. Alexander set up the beef carcasses and the value-based beef pricing class for the Nov. 12 event. He also graded the contest's written reasons on beef carcasses.
Alexander is the first community college coach or instructor to be selected for the committee at the international contest.
"The honor is very prestigious for me personally and for Garden City Community College," Alexander said, who has been the GCCC animal and meat science instructor and coach for seven years.
2008 Woodie Awards