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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1980)
friday, january 1&, 1980 daily nebraskan page 7 Judging pays off for coach, team By Barb Bierman From September through May his teams practically live, eat and breathe together. Every spare minute is spent practicing, in hopes that little extra effort will give them the winning edge. The mind behind the scenes, however, is not that of a typical coach, but that of Richard B. Warren, head of the UNL livestock judging team. Warren has been coaching judging teams at UNL since 1958, and they are consistent-winners. "We're ranked higher than the football team. We've won the American Royal (Kansas City) three times, the National Barrow Show (Austin, Minn.) eight times and were ranked number four in a national contest out of 40 teams last year, he said . Well-traveled judger The 55-year-old professor received his bachelor's de gree from Kansas State in 1948 and his master's from Oklahoma State in 1950. He began working with judging teams at Michigan State in 1949. He said he has judged livestock contests in 38 states and Canada. Warren said his interest in livestock dates back to the years he spent growing up near Silverdale, Kan. t Family affair "My great-grandfather had a world champion Dacer and was interested in purebreds. On the other side of the family they raised purebred Jerseys and thoroughbred horses. Because 1 wasn't financially able to farm, this was a related field," he said. Known as R.B. to his students, Warren has always had a competitive drive. He lost an arm at the age of two and because he grew up without it, he said he never has much of an opportunity to miss it. 'The biggest problem amputees have is balance" he said. But that didn't stop him from playing football and basketball in college. "I was a lineman at Kansas State and guess I enjoyed football because it was more competitive," Competitiveness passed on t Warren passes that competitiveness oh to his team. 'They practice every minute they can stand," Warren said. . ,-,,. The 10-member junior team that traveled to the National Western Livestock Show in Denver last week put in more than 150 hours of preparation for the contest, Warren said. The team members worked for two weeks during semester break and judged 43 practice classes and gave 30 sets of reasons, he said. . Team members completed Animal Science 301 last semester, during which they judged 42 classes and gave 34 sets of reasons, Warren said. Learn responsibility According to his estimates it takes about 40 practice classes to get a team ready for competition. Warren said students learn responsibflity and gather decision making skills by working long hours, both of which give them a competitive edge against others. Warren said that Nebraska's system is different from most states in that there are no junior colleges which have active judging teams. He said many large schools have students on their teams that transfer from junior colleges where they have had judging experience. Because of this there are hardly any students from outside Nebraska on the teams, he said. "Most of our kids have had some 4-H or FF A judging, but it takes us about six months to catch up with some states who go to a series of shows," Warren said. Jobs await Students who stick with the judging teams often find many job opportunities waiting for them upon graduation, Warren said. 'Though livestock types change, the procedure of decision making is still a good one and this is a quality sought by employers." Warren also is an extension horse specialist. He said he spends 50 percent of his time teaching and 50 percent working with the state horse program. 'The horse project is the number two project in 4-H with an enrollment of 4,200," he said. However, that number reflects a drop from an enroll, ment of 5,700 a few years ago, Warren pointed out. He said that money required for stable rent and higher gas prices were reasons for the drop. Horses important Warren himself owns four quarterhourses, two of which he keeps for his extension work and judging classes at the university. , . He said he feels that horses still have an important part in modern-day ranching. ! i h ,. J Photo by Jerry McBride Professor R. B. Warren, coach of UNL's livestock judging team. "There are certain things you can't do with a motor' cycle or pick-up, and a horse will go into these places for you." He added that they could be used more if fuel be comes a big problem. Modern-day ranchers can also make use of new tech nology to improve their operations, he said. Record-keeping, production testing for breeding purposes, computer information .and new information on backfat probes in hogs, testicle circumference in cattle and measurements for rate of gain will help to make ranchers more competi tive, Warren said. Warren said meeting people, making decisions and deal ing with students make his work worthwhile. "I've been on and have been working with judging teams since 1950. To my knowledge we have never had problems with breakage or rowdiness, which is more than I can say for some others," he said. "Seeing students change, finding an ability and build ing on ft, this is what makes it (his work) satisfying." Shock absorber. Tke stock in America. Buy US. Savings Bonds. IP Students Who Are Interested In: o Gaining Leadership Skills. o Gaining Career Experience. o Getting to Know the University Community. o Learning About Budgets for a $2.2 Million Operation. o Having a Voice in how Your Student Fees are Spent. o Long Term Facility Planning, Applications are now being accepted for the Nebraska Union Board, a student advisory organization to the Nebraska City and East Unions. Seven positions will be filled. , ' For applications and more information, stop by the ASUN office, Room 115 in the Nebraska Union, or call John Kreuscher, President, at 472-2181 or 464-8468. CTczdlino: Jcnucry SEfch Inttcruiorjo: Jcnucry 05, GO, SO Before s You ' Y Ren Check V Ay wl4hUs! ' I Rent Applies to Ownership I V Long 4 Short Term Rentals I r P8 De,lvery I . & Service . Componont Storoo Systom fnkJp) Includes Receiver, Separate Garrard Turntable, (L JfccCy I Pair of Speakers I I AM-FM multiplex receiver with lighted , - . , fu ,tlluM.. - ffQiVL lur?,nfl,,l,'d,a,po,n,,n(, l"rcK.SrwS 'v-m?! tter.oindlc.tor record dec i" .T ';! n I Rotary control for tuning, balance, , , ,, , . . rS-V bass, treble and function selection. JJJ VU meters for professionalrr- -M JY I 41 position detent volurr control for vX I precise adjustments. Leftright record volume level controls. 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