Pony Club Quiz 2013!

My computer took a vacation, but it is back, and I can share the latest do-in's.
Of greatest note was last weekend's trip to West Virginia for the United States Pony Club Tri-State Region Quiz Rally Competition. Way back when(I was in Pony Club) it was called "Knowdown". It was much like what people are familiar with as "College Bowl" where teams sit behind a desk and are asked questions and compete against other teams. That has morphed into the competition now called "Quiz". They still have a written test and the "Bowl" type questions, but now the Bowl is called "Classroom" and is just one of the multiple phases of the competition. This was my first time attending Quiz in this region. Middlest competed last year as well, but I was working, and sent her with other PC Moms. For 2013, I was given the job of Chaperone, which meant I was to stay with the team, drive them to the Barn Phase- offsite- and basically make sure they were safe and fed. This, I can do! Plus, it left me with them in any down-time, which I put to use with teaching. The team was a hard working, and polished one, having had weekly practices for some time now. They were so well put together, well spoken, and confident. Plus, they had the best hair in the rally.


Here is the braiding machine in action. 9 competitors, all before 7:30...Go Moms!

Team gets their heads in the game. Nice hair.

 Hunter's Run Pony Club fielded 9 team players. We had a full team of Junior D-level competitors, those are at a "D" rating, and 12 years of age or less, a scramble team of Senior D competitors, and two Senior C level goers. Of these, 6 were also competing for the top spots to qualify to compete at Eastern National Championships in July.

"My team"-or at least my assigned team to chaperone. The young lady on the left was our 4th team member, a "scramble" member from another pony club. When a team is short a member, the region will scramble in single competitors that don't have a team.

 All three Hunter's Run members on my team were competing to also qualify for Championships. This made them a little intense....entering the Stations Phase they were going for....

That's 100%.

 They were a mere 2 points behind the team in first place going into this last phase of the competition. They had led the field all day through the Written Test, the Classroom Phase and the Barn Phase. But they fell short in "Megaroom" and the team in second passed them by. Two of them had even protested a loss of two points for naming the navicular bone as a sesamoid. Which it is. Their protest earned them their 2 points back (and also gave them both a 100% score at the veterinary medicine table, much to my pride) So, going into Stations, they were energized and determined.

Go Team!

 When they finished Stations, they found they had gotten 94% instead, and had not wrested back the lead.

The Junior D's, meanwhile had fought their way into second place in a strong field, led by the second-highest point earner in the competition- Miss KZ!

The Senior D's earned this too! All three of my Hunter's Run girls qualified for National Championships- including my very own Middlest!

Our Senior C's were pressed for information on all topics and amazing levels. They were brave and smart, and managed a third place with a three- man scramble (tougher, because with a 4 man team, you can drop the lowest score. With a three man, you cannot.)

 The Junior D's also managed to get the third highest team score in the competition!

 The competitors, and their fearless, fun and fabulous leaders! Such great organizing and teaching makes these kids not only smart, but fortunate.

 And, all six competitors that were attempting to qualify for the Championships were successful! Wowza.

Not an official part of Quiz, but nonetheless a favorite, the kids start out with a  swim the night before the competition. Also, starts getting them ready for Tetrathalon!

High dive is no fright for kids that take ornery ponies out on windy, cold days!