The Steinbach Sunset Riders (SSR) 4-H Club made a clean sweep in the Eastman Zones, placing first in every category. The event, in which club members present speeches, took place on February 16. According to the official 4-H Communications Guidelines, the purpose of the speeches is to teach, entertain, or inform.
At this year’s Zones, four clubs competed in 11 categories for their members to advance to the Eastman Regionals. During the competition, members presented on topics of their choosing—ranging from paper airplanes to legalizing cannabis—based on the individual’s interests and age.
Members are divided into categories based on age—Cloverbuds (up to eight years), Juniors (nine to 11 years), Intermediate (12 to 14 years), Seniors (15 to 17 years), and Adults (18 to 25 years)—and are given points based on a number of criteria. The length of their speeches vary based on their category and range from one minute all the way to nine minutes. According to the official guidelines, the judges score the speeches and presentations based on topic (10 percent), speech structure and development (30 percent), voice and presentation (30 percent), language (10 percent), and results (20 percent).
SSR is in its first year as a 4-H Club, making their presence in the finalists even more exciting.
“I am very pleased with our members, not for winning specifically but for putting forth their best efforts,” says SSR leader Tara Reimer. “That’s really what we ask for is effort. If that’s good enough to win, great. If not, that’s okay because they did their best. Effort is the skill, winning is just the outcome. We control effort, not outcome.”
Francis Penner, a member of the SSR, competed in the Intermediate category and placed first for her presentation entitled “The Functionality Issues of the English Language.”
“I did my project on the English language,” says the 13-year-old Penner. “I chose it because I’ve always been very passionate on speaking and making sure others speak correctly. It was my first time doing public speaking. I was excited beforehand, but then I got very nervous until I went up on the stage and saw everybody looking at me. Then I calmed down.”
In addition to teaching members how to create a presentation, 4-H also equips its members with the ability to speak in public, a tool that often goes unpracticed but is used in everyday life. Penner, who is in her first year with 4-H, not only advanced to Regionals, but also learned about equine health care, how to shoe horses, and also the nutritional needs of horses, through the club’s guest speakers this season.
“She has definitely gained confidence in herself in front of others,” says her mom, Alisa Penner.
The 4-H program has been in place for over 100 years and has helped kids much like Penner come out of their shells and gain the confidence and tools they’ll be able to use the rest of their lives.
“That is why I am a firm believer of public speaking being mandatory in the 4-H program,” says Reimer. “This skill will set these youth up for success and set them apart from non 4-Hers in the future. Being able to communicate effectively to people is a very important skill and I am glad to be able to help our members learn it.”
The Eastman Regionals take place on March 9 and will see members from the North, South, and Central Zones come together to compete for a chance to advance to the Provincials. The top two placings in each category at Regionals, except Cloverbuds, who do not advance, go on to compete at Provincials in Portage la Prairie this April.
