North Dakota

North Dakota Leaders Experience 4-H Livestock Showmanship

Published

2 years ago

August 5, 2024

Press Room

North Dakota Leaders Experience 4-H Livestock Showmanship

CONNECTING LEADERS …

Showing livestock with 4-H youth as judges at the North Dakota State Fair

PUBLISHED ON August 5, 2024

Representative Karen Rohr of Mandan, North Dakota, and her 4-H coach Jarett Sanders of Oliver County, display her new beef cattle showmanship skills at the photo backdrop during the 2024 North Dakota Public Leaders Showmanship Contest. (NDSU)

FARGO, N.D. — On July 27, several state leaders experienced the world of 4-H livestock showmanship as they tried their hand at showing livestock with 4-H youth as judges at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot.

Prior to the North Dakota Public Leaders 4-H Showmanship Event, a leader was paired with a selected 4-H member who exhibited one of the six livestock species at the North Dakota State Fair. The youth provided their leader instruction and advice on how to show a specific species of livestock and then served as the judges for the leaders’ efforts.

“This 4-H event connects today’s leaders with tomorrow’s leaders,” said Kurt Froelich, NDSU Extension agent from Stark-Billings County. “Thank you to our participants and supporters of this event for making this experience possible for the 4-Hers.”

“Our goal for 4-H is to help youth achieve the best in themselves,” said Leigh Ann Skurupey, North Dakota Center for 4-H Youth Development assistant director. “4-H helps youth to develop essential life skills, gain knowledge and build confidence to thrive, lead and change the world. This event is a good example of how 4-H provides opportunities for our youth to thrive.”

“I had the best time learning from my coach Tessa Sigvaldson,” said Chloe Drummond, 4-H Foundation board coordinator and relationship specialist. “Learning that Tessa balances school, work, clubs, her livestock projects and her own business is a great example of how 4-H prepares youth for work and life. I loved seeing 4-H in action!”

The state leaders who took first place in the event were:

Beef Cattle – John Fjeldahl, Ward County Commissioner, Minot, coached by Bennett Johnson, Mercer County
Dairy Cattle – Sarah Lovas, Chair, State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, Hillsboro, coached by Brekka Kuss, Stutsman County
Dairy Goats – Kandi Mikkelson, North Dakota State Fair Board Member, Minot, coached by Devyn Fougner, Griggs County
Meat Goats – Beth Richardson, Canadian Consul General, Minneapolis, Minnesota, coached by Lilli Steeke, Bowman County
Sheep – Lynette Flage, NDSU Extension associate director, Fargo, coached by Gustin Ueckert, Golden Valley County
Swine – Senator Keith Boehm, District 33, Mandan, coached by Cooper Strommen, Morton County

Other state leaders participating and their 4-H coaches were:

Drew Combs, North Dakota Trade Office executive director, Bismarck, coached by Elizabeth Hanson, Ward County
S. Congressman Kelly Armstrong, Dickinson, coached by Sydnee Johnson, Mercer County
Representative Karen Rohr, District 31, Mandan, coached by Jarett Sanders, Oliver County
Commissioner Sheri Haugen-Hoffart, Public Service Commission, Bismarck, coached by Jacob Sand, Bottineau County
Mohamed Khan, NDSU Extension assistant director, ANR, Fargo, coached by Marie Sand, Bottineau County
Woodrow (Chip) Poland, Director of Agriculture and Technical Studies, Dickinson, coached by Eleanor Carlson, McLean County
Chloe Drummond, 4-H Foundation coordinator, Fargo, coached by Tessa Sigvaldson, Williams County
Kevin Black, Minot Area Chamber Economic Development Corporation, Minot, coached by Maggie Iverson, Cavalier County
Representative Paul Thomas, District 6, Velva, coached by Morgan Keen, Ward County
Senator Kristin Roers, District 27, Fargo, coached by Rudi Wendel, Cass County
Senator David Hogue, District 38, Minot, coached by Faith Carpenter, Ward County
Jeff Eslinger, Communications Director, North Dakota Association of Counties, Bismarck, coached by Layla Krinke, Bowman County
Senator Judy Estenson, District 15, Warwick, coached by Rosie Abraham, Griggs County
Representative Vicky Steiner, District 37, Dickinson, coached by Tessa Dvorak, Dunn County
Representative Matthew Ruby, District 40, Minot, coached by Rachel Schmidt, Oliver County
Twyla Baker, President, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, New Town, coached by Bailey Hokanson, Williams County
Greg Lardy, Joe and Norma Peltier Vice President for NDSU Agriculture, Fargo, coached by Haley Mcleod, Ranson County
Senator Jeff Barta, District 43, Grand Forks, coached by Graesen Helgoe, Pembina County

NDSU Extension, the North Dakota 4-H Foundation and the North Dakota State Fair sponsored the event.

— North Dakota State University Extension

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North Dakota

Broncos won’t repeat as NCHC hockey champs, lose to N. Dakota: ‘We broke down’

Published

10 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Broncos won’t repeat as NCHC hockey champs, lose to N. Dakota: ‘We broke down’

Kalamazoo — There’ll be a new champion in the NCHC.

Will Zellers scored the game-winning goal in the third period as No. 3 North Dakota downed No. 4 Western Michigan, 5-3, Friday night at Lawson Arena. The Broncos never led and trailed all of the third period, though a late push nearly tied the game with the net empty.

“Overall in the game, I thought it was a pretty tightly contested effort. I thought they just scored too easy,” Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler said. “You know, for us, we had a couple breakdowns, and they’re so talented, so good, they took advantage when we broke down.”

The teams finish the regular season Saturday night. Western Michigan came into Friday’s game tied with Denver in standings points and five points behind North Dakota, needing that many to get a share of the Penrose Cup it won last season en route to an NCAA championship, too.

As far as regular season results go, the Broncos will play for second seed in the NCHC Tournament, needing to outpace Denver, which plays Arizona State this weekend.

Western Michigan (23-9-1, 15-7-1 NCHC) goaltender Hampton Slukynsky made 16 saves on 20 shots in the loss while North Dakota’s Jan Spunar stopped 22 of 25 shots. It was a battle of two of the NCHC’s top netminders, and each made key stops in a tight-checking, physical game.

Zellers put North Dakota (25-7-1, 17-5-1) up 4-2 4:42 into the third period off an assist from Detroit Red Wings draft choice Dylan James.

“He kind of made a play out of nothing there,” said North Dakota coach Dane Jackson, who is in his first season as head coach after being on the coaching staff since 2006. “And that was a really nice kind of moment where you go OK, we got a little got a little leeway here, and we can just kind of play a little bit more free.”

North Dakota took a 3-2 lead into the third period with goals from defenseman Sam Laurila alongside forwards Ollie Josephson and Josh Zakreski. Defenseman Zach Bookman and forward Liam Valente scored for Western Michigan.

One too many times in the second frame, Western Michigan’s blue line let a North Dakota forward in all alone to face Slukynsky, who stopped a couple of rushes in the opening minutes of the period.

With four minutes until the intermission, the Broncos finally got burned. On a feed from linemate Anthony Menghini, Lakreski cut to the glove side of a sprawling Slukynsky and beat him with the backhand. The goal gave North Dakota the 3-2 lead, after a seeing-eye shot from Bookman along the right wall had tied it up two apiece 8:10 into the period.

“I actually thought the second period was our best period,” Ferschweiler said. “… We started to take over. We got the goal, tied 2-2, and are kind of just humming along. Four minutes left, we just hand them a goal. Blown coverage. That was inexcusable, honestly, with some of our better players on the ice.”

The opening period played out as a back and forth track meet through the neutral zone as each side settled in. Laurila put North Dakota up 1-0 with his first career goal. After Slukynsky denied him on a trio of tries earlier in the shift, he fired a shot to beat the Western Michigan netminder 4:40 into the game.

It took just a minute and 34 seconds after Laurila’s opener for Western Michigan’s top line to get it right back. A blue-collar shift from captain Owen Michaels fed linemate Will Whitelaw along the left boards, and he sprung Valente for a breakaway goal that evened up the score.

“I thought we gave it to them too easy a couple times tonight,” Whitelaw said. “And I think when you’re playing a team like that, obviously they’re gonna put it in your net. But I think it’ll be a big lesson for our group going forward.”

For the better part of the first period, the Lawson Lunatics peppered North Dakota defenseman Jake Livanavage with jeers, but he got his own licks in with 7:48 left in the first period as he fed Josephson right at the net for the 2-1 goal. That score held through the first period.

With 2:02 remaining and Slukynsky pulled, forward Zaccharya Wisdom pulled Western Michigan within one. He nearly had the equalizer with 40 seconds on the clock on a backdoor try, but he mistimed the shot. Mac Swanson scored an empty-netter with 20.7 seconds on the clock to clinch the win, and with it the Penrose Cup, presented to North Dakota in the locker room and then paraded around the ice.

“It’s the hardest regular season championship to win, in my opinion,” North Dakota forward Ben Strinden said. “So it’s awesome. Obviously, it’s not our end goal, but we’re going to enjoy it for sure.”

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

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