Two 4-H teams from Union County participated in the 2023 Eastern Region Clover Bowl that was held at the Alumni Memorial Building at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
One 4th grade team from Maynardville Elementary School and one 5th grade team from Big Ridge Elementary School earned their spots in the tournament-style competition by putting in hours of studying on topics relating to 4-H, the State of Tennessee, Agriculture, and Family and Consumer Sciences to become the top competitors within their individual 4-H clubs.
Their road to the regional showdown included defeating teams from other Union County schools in the countywide competition held at Horace Maynard Middle School. From there, they earned a spot in the Eastern Regional competition.
Clover Bowl is the biggest event 4-H holds in the State of Tennessee. Teams receive questions to begin studying in the fall so that they can prepare all year for it. Clover Bowl began in 1994 in Wilson County when Agent Mitch Beaty recognized a need for young people to become more knowledgeable about their communities and the world in which they were growing up. Over the years, the contest has expanded to 64 counties across Tennessee and reaches an estimated 10,000 student participants.
The contest is both enjoyable and educational, promoting friendly competition while also helping 4-H members become more acquainted with their surroundings. Through their preparations and participation in the different stages of the competition, 4-H members develop their leadership, teamwork and communication skills. They delve more deeply into topics also studied in their classrooms, including history, geography, government, life skills, agriculture and science.
During this year’s opening ceremony, complete with a beautifully choreographed presentation of the flag and pledges led by 4-H All Star members, Program Leader Mitch Beaty recognized the nearly 80 teams in attendance, representing 24 of the 35 counties in the Eastern Region of Tennessee. The teams then entered into a seeding round, where they answered a set number of questions to help build out the competition bracket. Excitement (and some nerves) ran high as friends and family members navigated the various levels of competition and holding rooms, traveling in small packs to cheer their teams on to each successive round.
Our teams competed very well this year. At the 4th grade level, the Union County team (members: Tealyn Graves, Scarlett Hughes, Presley Lay, Coty Webb, and Natalie Yerdon) defeated Washington County head-to-head in the opening round. In the second round they lost to Jefferson County who went on to defeat Unicoi and Hamilton counties to get to the Championship Round and win 2nd place overall in the tournament.
At the 5th grade level, Union County was seeded high enough to earn a bye in the first round, and swiftly defeated Hancock County in the opening of the second round. The team members Arabelle Nicely, Levi Raper, Ella Ryder, Emma VanAlstine, and Tripp Webb faced a tough match up with Jefferson County, who beat them and went on to become tournament champions.
Parents, teachers, and the entire UT/TSU Extension staff are very proud of these young people for the hard work they put into preparing for and competing at this competition. If you know (or are) a youngster who loves trivia, memorization challenges, and all things Tennessee, please let your 4-H agent know once club meetings resume at the beginning of the new school year this fall. Any 4-H member in 4th through 8th grades can compete, and we look forward to building knowledgeable teams for the 2024 competitions. Congratulations to our MES and BRES teams and to all the competitors.