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Next stop for Eagle Point FFA: national competition Five members of Eagle Point's Future Farmers of America team will represent Oregon at the national FFA championships in Louisville, Ky., in October. The team won the state championships in Salem Aug. 27, beating out favorite Crater High School - which last year won its third national livestock judging championship in six years. Crater placed fourth in a tight contest among the top four competitors. In second and third place were Redmond and Crane, respectively. Winning Eagle Point advance team members were Lindsey Vincent, sophomore, who also placed third for individual judging on the advance team; Jonathan Hjelmervik, senior, who also placed 12th in individual; Raine Perry, senior, who placed 11th in individual; Jared Kinney, senior; and Rose Porter, senior. Jason Dunbar, a senior at Eagle Point, competed on the novice team and won third place in the individual judging competition. FFA adviser Tim Ray says the awards were the result of "lots of hard work and practice" among team members. "We went to eight county fairs throughout the summer and had other practices at school and students' houses, working on judging and oral reason both," he said. "They put in a lot of time and hard work, and it paid off." At the state championships, students competed among 30 teams in judging breeding ewes and market steers. At nationals, they will compete in three classes, one in each species: pigs, cows and sheep. As part of competition, students must say how they judged the animals and the reasons for their choice of winners. "It helps them with public speaking and problem solving," Ray says. It will cost the Eagle Point FFA chapter about $1,000 per student to send five students to the national championships. The students will raise the money through concessions at home football games, raffles and possibly a booth at the Jackson County Harvest Fair. Those wishing to donate funds to the chapter may send them to Tim Ray, FFA adviser, Eagle Point High School, P.O. Box 198, Eagle Point, OR 97524, or call Ray at 830-6631. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.