2016 Nationals: Manhattan, KS - Epilogue

The team arrived safely at Borlaug Hall from Manhattan, KS late yesterday afternoon. The past week has been an incredible experience for everyone. Once again we would like to thank Kansas State University faculty, staff, and students (Dr. Mickey Ransom, Dr. Colby Moorberg, Kim Kerschen and Michelle Scarpace and the entire KSU soil judging team), all of the official judges and organizers, and the landowners (particularly Dr. DeAnn Presley who hosted the team contest and shared her knowledge of area history) that granted permission for our students to access these sites. Although it is very easy to get caught up in the contest results and view them as the final goal, they should always be viewed as an afterthought.

Soil judging is most importantly about four things:

1. Education. Soil judging is an educational experience for everyone - the organizers, coaches, and student participants. The value in this educational experience is unparalleled. Soil judging is a class, first and foremost, an opportunity for students to expand their horizons (no pun intended!) and practice their fieldcraft.

2. Intercollegiate Exchange. Soil judging is an efficient means of intercollegiate exchange. Anybody who has suffered through a coaches meeting knows that soil judging forces faculty from different regions to reconcile their views and biases while looking at the exact same soils - a rare opportunity for academic exchange in a field environment. Both Dr. Doug Malo (South Dakota State) and Amber Anderson-Mba (Iowa State) have been fantastic colleagues this past week.

3. Student Fellowship. I would like to thank all Region V institutions for what I view as a continued deepening of camaraderie between our teams. I watched our Minnesota students cheer as hard or harder for Iowa State and South Dakota State as those schools won their own awards. I see genuinely playful joking between teams that has extended to us as coaches. These students have truly started forming cross-institutional bonds of friendship and I hope we can progressively strengthen the connection between our institutions.

Region V Representatives after the awards ceremony: Top row (L-R) - Casey Campbell (ISU), Geneva Knutson (ISU), Heidi Dittmer (ISU - Asst. Coach), Josh McDanel (ISU), Justin Chapman (ISU), Danny Brummel (ISU), Teng Vang (UMN), Brandon Walls (ISU), Andrea Williams (UMN), Stefan Swenson (UMN), Sondra Larson (UMN), Nick Vetsch (UMN), Amanda Wolff (UMN), Bri Egge (UMN), Allison Harvey (UMN), Mekuria Zemede (UMN), Nic Jelinski (UMN, Coach), Mickey Ransom (KSU - Coach, 2016 National Contest Organizer), Colin Tobin (SDSU - Asst. Coach). Bottom row (L-R) - Amber Anderson-Mba (ISU - Coach), Jordan Cooper (ISU), Emma Haven (ISU), Jake Ziggafoos (ISU - 2nd Place Individual!), Rusty Zimmerman (UMN - Captain, 3rd Place Individual!), Luke Ratgen (UMN), Matt Levan (ISU).  

4. Resume Building. Soil judging is a resume builder. The number of students who have now told me that they believe their soil judging experience opened doors for them on their job applications and interviews continues to grow. As an experience, soil judging is meaningful. It tells employers that students are astute observers capable of making independent decisions. It speaks volumes about the ability of a future employee to perform high quality work in many different types of adverse conditions. As I look at past teams coached by Dr. Terry Cooper on the pictures in Borlaug Hall, I see the names of many well accomplished professionals who have influenced the direction and quality of their organizations.

THANK YOU!
This post would not be complete without a tremendous thank you to all of the donors who made this trip possible. You directly enabled our students to participate in this educational opportunity and we are all forever grateful for your support. There are no words that I can find to express my gratitude and the team's gratitude for your generosity. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

The 2016 Region V Soil Judging contest will be hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in September. Stay tuned in late summer for updates.

Be at one with your textural triangles - we'll see you in the pits!

Respectfully,
Nic