OJC Press Release ID: 2577

Monday, October 24, 2016

Fifth Annual OJC Ag Olympics Makes a Splash

The OJC Ag Club and OJC Rodeo Team sponsored the 2016 Annual OJC Ag Olympics on October 20. Celebrating its fifth year, the Ag Olympic Games brought together teams of students from across campus to get a taste of what agriculture is about, while having a lot of fun.

Nine teams of five students each competed in five events with agricultural themes, including goat dressing, three-legged barrel racing, pumpkin chucking, hay bale stacking, and irrigation siphon-tube setting. Additional activities tested the skills of spectators and ag athletes, including dummy roping, butter making, placing a nipple on a calf bottle, and the “Name that Poop” game.

After completion of the events, tension mounted as a tie for second place required a roping dummy rope-off. When the dust settled, the Men’s Soccer Team had won the first place Gold Boot, Softball Team 2 had the second place Silver Boot, and the President’s Leadership Program (PLP) Team walked away with the Bronze Boot.

The Men’s Soccer Team was renamed the “Tub Jumpers” after a member created a splash by diving into the tank for the siphon tube setting competition. They also earned the “Most Enthusiastic Team” award. The two teams from Cosmetology shared the “Best Dressed Team” award. Additional teams from the International Relations Organization (IRO) and Softball added to the fun.

The success of the event was possible with support of the local and OJC communities. Wendy’s Restaurant of La Junta and Bent County Health Care Center contributed prizes and Hirakata Farms provided pumpkins. Event judges were Ryan Trosper, Dr. Joel Gray, Wayne Beadles, Lisa Gallegos and Carol Noll, and Robert Samaniego emceed. Staff, administrators, and faculty from across campus, including OJC President Jim Rizzuto, cheered on the participants.

The next event to be sponsored by the OJC Agricultural Program will be the Annual Ag Gala on New Year’s Eve, a dinner and dance held at Otero Junior College to raise funds for OJC Ag Premier Scholar scholarships. Last year’s event raised more than $10,000. For more information about attending or helping sponsor this event, contact Brooke Matthew at 384-6964 or Martina Murray at 384-6930.

The PLP Team (front row), Ag Club members (top row) and other spectators watch as a Softball Team 2 member lassos the Silver Boot position in the tie-breaking rope-off. PLP won the Bronze Boot. (Photo by Richard Gambino)