Local 4-H’ers shine at national competition

Published 6:30 am Saturday, November 24, 2018

After winning first place in the egg preparation and demonstration competition at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Kentucky, Clements High School sophomore Hannah Enskat may have finally settled the age-old question about which came first, the chicken or the egg.

Enskat, who has been in 4-H on and off since fourth grade, decided to go for the national title after winning first in state with her “Ultimate Cheesy Egg Bowl” recipe this summer. The Nov. 15 national conference in Louisville, Kentucky, which included five separate competitive events, gives teenagers like Enskat a chance to compete against students from across the country.

Since qualifying for the national competition at 4-H Poultry Week in July, the determined teen has spent most of her spare time mastering her simple breakfast dish recipe, which she found online and customized for the competition.

As a first-time national competitor, Enskat said she had no idea how much hard work and determination it would take to prepare for the event.

“The three weeks before the competition, I spent every day after school (at the Limestone County Extension Office) until about 8 o’clock at night making and remaking the recipe and practicing what I was going to say in my presentation,” Enskat said.

At the national conference, Enskat was required to both prepare the egg dish from start to finish and give a separate oral presentation to a panel of industry experts highlighting the egg and poultry industry.

In the end, Enskat said she believes the thoroughness of her oral presentation edged out the other four competitors.

“When I heard I had won first I was really surprised because everyone else had really nice setups,” she said. “But, I don’t think they really understood the competition wasn’t so much about the demonstration but more about what you knew about eggs and the poultry industry.”

Aside from having a serious case of the nerves, Enskat said she had a great time at the conference and hopes to compete in a different division next year.

“I have done several speeches for other clubs, but nothing as professional as this,” she said. “It really helped me gain a lot of confidence in my public-speaking abilities.”

Enskat said the skills will come in handy once she gets into medical school. Her sister’s struggle with cystic fibrosis inspired her to become a pulmonologist.

The chicken que

Returning to the national conference for a second time in three years, 12th grader Madison Richter, who is home-schooled, battled the cold to take third place in the chicken que division of the contest. In 2016, Richter earned the second-place spot in the turkey que division.

Competing against 11 others, Richter had to barbecue half of a chicken on an outdoor grill and deliver an in-depth oral presentation about the poultry industry to a panel of experts.

Although she had hoped for first place, Richter said she was “excited to get third place” because the other students she competed against were top-notch.

“I learned a lot from the other kids about different techniques; things I had never thought of,” she said. “It was great to be able to talk to the other 4-H kids about their experiences in their own clubs.”

“It took a lot of hard work preparing for the national event, but it was definitely worth it in the end,” Richter added.

After graduation this spring, Richter hopes to study graphic design in college.