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Block & Bridle Holds Fundraiser for Special Olympics

By Kendra Knutson
APRIL 23, 2007--Five teams battled it out to see who would become the champion of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls 3 rd annual Ag Olympics for Special Olympics held March 29 at the Lab Farm No.1 riding arena. Teams paid $20 to participate, with $15 donated to Special Olympics. The remainder of the money went to the Block and Bridle organization, who hosted the event.

Team members tested their skills in carrying heavy pails of water through a figure eight pattern, stopping halfway through to answer agriculture trivia. If an answer was incorrect, the team was docked 15 seconds, which was added to its total. The team with the fastest time won the event. In the second event, Tug-O-War, participants could show off their muscle as they pulled against each other in hopes of being the last remaining team without a loss.  

For the next event, each team selected one member to role-play a calf, a familiar animal that most players had cared for in the past on their farms. The chosen member had to chug a calf-bottle full of Kool-aid in the fastest time. The fourth event, the bale toss, called for more muscle from a male and female teammate. Both members tossed a small, square hay bale and their throws were added together with the longest combined distance winning.

The final event of the evening was the water balloon toss. Again, this required one male and one female from each team to toss a water balloon without breaking it. If it was broken, the team was eliminated. Whoever still had the balloon intact when time expired won the event.  

Kaitlin Ferg, a junior animal science major from Rosholt, Wis., along with Heide Belz, a freshman animal science major from Gleason, Wis., co-chaired and organized the annual event. The five teams that participated included: Alpha Gamma Rho/Sigma Alpha, Alpha Gamma Rho/Association of Women in Agriculture (AWA), two teams from Delta Theta Sigma/DTS Little Sisters, and the Ag Ed Society.  

The Alpha Gamma Rho/Sigma Alpha team consisting of Hans Koller, a senior food science major from Fredonia, Penn., Eric Voight, a freshman dairy science major from Pittsville, Wis., Cale Richter, a junior conservation major from Bonduel, Wis., Ashley Swenty, a sophomore dairy science major from Tomahawk, Wis., Patty Riegert, a junior dairy science major from Suring Wis., and Vicki Cooper, a junior from DeForest, Wis., majoring in marketing communications, prevailed as the winners of the event.

Reigert said she had a blast participating. "I would have to say the most fun event was the tug-a-war," said Reigert. "To me it was the most competitive." She also said the team received a gold medal washer for their first place finish.  

"Everything was fun to see, I would recommend more people come to watch," said Ferg.  

This is the 15th year the Block and Bridle Club has sponsored the Ag Olympics, said the organization's advisor Thomas Goerke, however, it is only the third year the group has raised money for the Special Olympics.    

"Sponsoring an event that raises money for a worthwhile charity is always a beneficial," said Goerke.

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Last updated: Thursday, 22-Apr-2010 16:08:15 Central Daylight Time