Perseverance Pays
By Hannah Puderbaugh
“Practice makes perfect”, or as a German saying goes, “practice makes the master”. The truth of these well-known phrases was proven by the Madison County 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl Team on January 8th, 2012, when the team took Reserve Champion honors at national competition the Western National Stock Show in Denver, Colorado. This team had won the right to represent Iowa by becoming the state Horse Quiz Bowl champion at the state competition last March. The national competition involved the winning teams from the other states and has been known to be very challenging. Winning the state championship and earning the right to compete in the nationals is considered to be an honor in itself. Finishing with Reserve Champion honors is more than a dream come true to the Madison County team.
The Reserve Grand Champion team put in months, and for some of the team members years, of hard work in studying and mastering their knowledge of all aspects related to horses. This year’s Madison County team consisted of five members: Zane Peters, Hannah Puderbaugh, Taylor Hildreth, Katie Gamble and Cierra Hildebrand. While the team took reserve champion honors as a team, Peters and Hildreth took sixth and seventh places consecutively in the individual placings. This team represented Iowa with prestige and honor as they set a record of success for both Madison County and the State of Iowa.
The Madison County 4-H horse project is no stranger to state and national competitions. A team from the project has represented Iowa every year at the national competition since 2007. This astounding record is due to the time and efforts of Coach Jana Peters. Peters began working with the horse project teams in horse judging, hippology and quiz bowl in 2005. Some of the members of this years national reserve champion team began their study with Peters as junior 4-H members in that year. The first efforts at competition on the state level did not produce victories, but rather determination by both the coach and team members to work harder. In 2006, the Madison County team placed second in the state in judging and participated in judging competition at Columbus, Ohio at the American Quarter Horse Congress. In 2007, Madison County had state champion teams in both judging and hippology. The first trips to the Nationals in Denver were perceived by these early teams as chiefly an honor, to just be able to get to the nationals and to represent the state. By last year, the team representing Madison County and Iowa was beginning to feel as though it had a chance to do very well in national competition. Indeed they did, as they finished fourth overall in hippology at the National Western. None the less, no member of the team this year really believed they could win, but they amazed themselves as the final result came down to a final round with Nebraska. It is clear that the great amount of time and hard work and dedication of both Coach Peters and the team is responsible for the great success of Madison County’s teams.
The Madison County 4-H Horse Project quiz bowl team is very unique in comparison to many other teams that have competed at the Western National Roundup. Many states merely take the highest scoring individuals from their state contest and they throw them together to form a team to compete at the national level. These competitors do not have the cohesiveness that comes from knowing each other well, nor do they have or take the time to practice and study together. The Madison County team, on the other hand, is very close knit. They have gathered to study and learn together, in many cases weekly, for many months, and more frequently when preparing for state and national competitions. Team members Zane Peters and Hannah Puderbaugh have worked together since 2005. All members of the team know that they can depend on each other and support one another in competition. Theirs is a balanced team, with no one person being seen as more vital than another. This balance, and their friendship and confidence in each other, has been a key to their success.
The unsung heroine in the accomplishment of this year’s team and all of the previous teams and successes is Coach Jana Peters. Without her knowledge and willingness to devote her time, energy and patience to all of the young people within the horse project, none of the accomplishments of the past seven years would have been possible. The program is an unparalleled opportunity for 4-Hers. Even those 4-Hers who are not particularly good riders or desire a future in the horse industry, benefit from the knowledge they gain through this program and the discipline and hard work required to be successful. Several current and former team members and their parents credit the program with improving science knowledge and grades at school in science, and other areas of study. Those 4-Hers interested in joining the program should contact the Extension office or Coach Jana Peters.