The Leelanau County Senior 4-H Horse Bowl team captured first place in a state competition held last month on the campus of Michigan State University.

STATE CHAMPIONS, members of the Leelanau
County Senior 4-H Horse Bowl team pose for a
picture. They are, from left: Missi Frixen, Kaitlin
Houdek, Nicole Rubritius and Theresa Hubbell.

The team will now advance to a national finals event, which will be held in Kentucky in November.
Leelanau County’s Senior 4-H Horse Bowl team members include captain Theresa Hubbell, Missi Frixen, Kaitlin Houdek and Nicole Rubritius.

The team was tied for first place with a team from Menominee County when they pulled ahead in a final round to win the contest with a five-point lead. Points are tabulated for each individual during the team competition. Hubbell earned first place, Houdek took second place, and Rubruitius took sixth place.

The event also includes a track where members compete as individuals rather than on a team. Leelanau County’s Ali Peterson took sixth place.

The Junior 4-H Horse Bowl team won second place in the state-wide competition against six other teams. Team members include Captain Karen Otto, Ian Hood, Jessie Hood, Alissa Novak and Emma Talbot.

During the junior team competition, Otto placed first and Talbot took third with their individual scores.

The teams are coached by 4-H volunteer Eleanor Miller of Cedar. Miller has been a 4-H horse leader for 30 years and has been coaching 4-H Horse Bowl for more than 20 years. This was the eighth time that Miller had a team qualify to go to the national 4-H Horse Bowl competition. This will be the second year that the current team members will compete at the national level.

Both teams advanced to the state finals after qualifying at a regional competition in Alpena in March.
The state 4-H Horse Bowl finals drew 14 winning teams from across Michigan.