leadership - 4-H Ontario
leadership - 4-H Ontario
leadership - 4-H Ontario
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in Region 4 and features numerous<br />
opportunities to demonstrate 4-H<br />
skills including: rabbit jeopardy,<br />
rabbit quizzes, rabbit showing, rabbit<br />
hopping, judging and project board<br />
competitions. Fifty-five Members from<br />
various Clubs across the province<br />
came together to participate in this<br />
exciting daylong event.<br />
To prepare for Haldimand Rabbit Day,<br />
Bennett and his Showing and Hopping<br />
Club practiced every week for over<br />
three months and competed at the<br />
Rockton, Caledonia and Ancaster<br />
fairs. The Rockton Fair was Bennett’s<br />
very first time showing and it was here<br />
that he really fell in love with the sport.<br />
“At first I was really nervous but once I<br />
got through I realized that it wasn’t that<br />
hard and it was really fun!” Bennett<br />
says excitedly.<br />
Bennett notes that the hardest part<br />
about rabbit showing is to remember<br />
all the steps. When showing, Members<br />
progress through a series of steps<br />
to showcase their rabbit’s health.<br />
Members first show the top of the<br />
rabbit, and then flip it onto its backside<br />
to show the underside of the rabbit.<br />
There are over 17 steps in the entire<br />
showing process, which leaves a lot of<br />
room for error.<br />
For a young 4-H’r who is under<br />
pressure, this can be a tricky feat and<br />
can leave them feeling discouraged<br />
if they slip up. Luckily Bennett has<br />
a great mentality around showing<br />
because his Club Leader and fellow<br />
Members have taught him it’s the<br />
learning process that’s the most<br />
important part, not the end result.<br />
“You shouldn’t be scared because if<br />
you make a mistake it doesn’t matter,<br />
you just try your best,” says Bennett<br />
knowingly.<br />
Bennett is loving his 4-H experience<br />
so far. “In 4-H I learn a lot of new<br />
skills, I have lots of fun, and I learn<br />
responsibility and how to take care of<br />
animals,” Bennett explains. This young<br />
4-H’r is excited to continue with Rabbit<br />
Showing, Rabbit Hopping, and Drama<br />
Clubs again next year, and if he can<br />
squeeze it into his busy schedule,<br />
Dairy Club and homemaking clubs<br />
will also be in his future. Sounds like<br />
Bennett has a very bright, and busy,<br />
4-H future ahead.<br />
Hamilton-Wentworth 4-H<br />
Rabbit Hopping Club<br />
Submitted by Aleta Alblas<br />
“You want me to jump what I don’t<br />
know if I can do that! I don’t think I could<br />
jump that high, however, my trainer<br />
thinks that I can, and is urging me to try.<br />
Maybe, I will start out low and work my<br />
way up. Wow! I’ve jumped one pole, two<br />
poles, three poles, hey, this is fun!” This<br />
is likely what my rabbit, Rio, was thinking<br />
when I was training him to navigate the<br />
agility course that we made in our Rabbit<br />
Hopping Club.<br />
This year in Rabbit Hopping Club we<br />
first learned how to make rabbit jumps<br />
and then how to train our rabbits to use<br />
these jumps. Some of us spent more<br />
time making extra jumps and other<br />
pieces of equipment. When we put them<br />
all together on a track, they made a<br />
great Rabbit Hopping course. We started<br />
training our rabbits in July and by the<br />
third week in September we had our first<br />
show at the Ancaster Fair. We also did<br />
a show at the Rockton Fair, Caledonia<br />
Fair, and had a demo at the Haldimand<br />
Intercounty Rabbit Show. Rio had a<br />
great time! Here’s what the experience<br />
was like from his point of view.<br />
“The trainers set the track up consisting<br />
of jumps, a hoop, tunnels, an A-frame,<br />
walkover, and a finish line. We are given<br />
a chance to warm up by going around<br />
the track with the jumps nice and low<br />
before the show begins. The music<br />
starts and we are off running as quickly<br />
as we can! I like to start out slow and<br />
gain speed going around. I cleared five<br />
poles, sailed through the hoop, and dove<br />
through the tunnel. And then there’s the<br />
final jump. Oh no, my trainer has made it<br />
18 inches high! Okay I’ll give it a try, here<br />
it goes….up, up, up, and over I go. Wow<br />
I made it! And I didn’t knock any poles<br />
over. Yay, my trainer is thrilled with me!”<br />
The Hamilton-Wentworth 4-H Rabbit Hopping Club from left to right; back row, Susan Dwyer,<br />
Joanne Alblas, Chelsea Dwyer with Q-tip, Mary-Lynne Howell with Chester, Aleta Alblas with Rio,<br />
Cindy Coverdale with Flower, Front row, Bennett Howell with Cinnamon , Bradley Howell with<br />
Pepper, and Mikayla Ringelberg with Reese. Not present: Calista Loten with Mittens.<br />
Leadership In Action • Winter 2011<br />
By helping our rabbits navigate the<br />
agility course, we learned that rabbits<br />
are not always ready to hop when we<br />
are, and, they are not always ready to<br />
stop when we want them to. We also<br />
learned how to be gentle and patient<br />
with our rabbits as we coax them over<br />
the jumps. Our rabbits have learned how<br />
to cheat along the way when they know<br />
we are not close by! We had a great time<br />
this year and look forward to next year.<br />
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