Kansas State Meats Judging

Since I'm obviously a Meats dude, I felt compelled to share some results from our program.  While many of you probably don't care, I'm channeling my inner Collin Klein.

Last year, the Kansas State Meats Judging team(yours truly was a member) had one of their best seasons in many long years.  We won the Iowa State Invitational(which prominently is an all Northern contest that doesn't feature OSU, TTech, or A&M)which is the first time the program had won a contest in the last 10 years.  A notable feat.  We finished 2nd in all but the National Western and the International besides that contest.  Yours truly even got a couple individual ribbons along the way(YEAH 3RD PLACE IN PORK JUDGING, I TREASURE YOU FOREVER).

This year's team did as remarkably well.  Infact, they won a significantly harder contest in the Cargill High Plains Contest in beautiful Plainview, Texas(not really).  And followed up our 3rd place finish in the International with another.  By the way I'm not sure why they call it the International when the only contest an International team comes to is the National Western when the Australian National Team shows up.  The Aussies are as cool as you might imagine.  But this is not the point.

I just wanted to highlight some of the accomplishments from the International Contest that took place last weekend and give recognition to these hard working souls who wake up at 5 2-3 times a week.  Not to mention the week of class they miss before each contest braving absurdly cool meat packing plants filled with 1000 pound carcasses that are liable to fall on you if something goes amiss.  Also of note, drives through the West Texas Plains which are mostly unbearable.

As a team they placed 3rd overall just 7 points behind Colorado State and 27 behind Texas Tech.  2nd as a Team in Beef Grading, 2nd in Beef Judging, 2nd in Overall Beef, 3rd in Lamb Judging, 1st in Pork Judging, 7th in Specifications, 1st in Total Placing, and 3rd in Reasons.

This team also featured 2 All-Americans.  Aaron Tapian was first team(also 2nd place overall as individual at the International), and Garret Dietz was 2nd team.  Their were many individual honors to be had throughout by several team members.

I would just like to congratulate all these hardworking students who receive no scholarship money and pay for all their own meals on the trips.  Special Thanks go to Grad Student Coaches Andy Stickel and Bryce Gerlach among others and Dr. Terry Houser(my advisor infact, great guy).  My apologies for taking up an entire fanpost to deal with this but it is quite important to me.  Not so long ago this program wasn't sniffing the top tier of these competitions, which all my Oklahoma State friends who judged there laughed at.  They stopped laughing when my team started whipping em.

AMSA International Results