Category Archives: Youth

Area News, Entertainment, Exercise, Youth

Getting More Kids On Bikes

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Submitted photo from NICA.

A state league mountain bike race will be in Fort Scott on April 23.

Kansas NICA is coming to Gunn Park Trails!

The primary goal of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is to get more kids on bikes, according to information from  NICA.  NICA provides opportunity for student athletes, 6th through the 12th grade, to compete in the growing sport of mountain biking, and develop the life-long skill of cycling.

Submitted photo from NICA.

Gunn Park will be closed April 23-24 to the Public

On April 24, Fort Scott’s wooded and hilly Gunn Park Trails will be one of the venues this year for the Kansas League of NICA.  Setup will begin on Saturday, April 23, and Gunn Park will be closed for the weekend except to spectators, volunteers, and obviously participants.

Mountain Biking

Mountain biking IS for flatlanders too.

Mountain biking is synonymous with off-road biking/trail-riding, as opposed to paved or gravel trails.  As long as you have elevation, rocks and dirt, you can have a trail, according to information provided by Frank Halsey, who is the liaison between the race organizers and The City of Fort Scott.

Halsey is an avid mountain bike rider and hosts other local mountain bike races in Gunn Park during the year. He initiated the trails in the park and started the Gunn Park Trails organization several years ago.

He was contacted by Tina Kahn, Director for Kansas NICA, about eight weeks ago, for permission to host a mountain bike race on Gunn Park Trails. He approached the city commission about “this great opportunity to showcase our local trails as well as the awesome hospitality of Fort Scott,” Halsey said, and the city commission approved.

Submitted photo from NICA.

“To host this type of event is an honor for our team of volunteers and tremendous opportunity for Fort Scott”, said Halsey. “The whole thing is very, very organized, and follows a 200-page rules and regulations book produced by the NICA.  It’s kids, so they are ultra-careful about doing things safely and professionally”.

“It is quite the production,” he said.  “Their infield/staging area is awesome with vendor and sponsor tents set up, everything fenced off, creating a pro-sport atmosphere.  It’s all about the experience for the athletes.”

New Fort Scott Team Next Year?

“The nearest team is currently from the Pleasanton-Louisburg area, but I hope we can field a team next year,” Halsey said.  “There are currently about 140 (Kansas) student athletes, making up eleven different teams from across the state.”

Submitted photo from NICA.

To learn more about the Kansas league: https://www.kansasmtb.org/

NICA’s Kansas League is asking for 40-50 volunteers to help with the event and one can sign up here: https://signup.com/go/oFWBuyG

To learn more:

2020 NICA Dirt Tour – final

Submitted photo from NICA.

 

Bourbon County, Youth

March 2022 Uniontown 4-H Club Reporter’s Report

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by Marley Sutton


Several Uniontown 4-H Club members have been busy competing in local Aggie Day events recently. On March 25th members competed at Fort Scott Community College Aggie Day in Meat Evaluation, Livestock Evaluation and Vet Science. The highlight of the day was our Junior Meat Evaluation teams as they finished 1st and 2nd overall in the contest. Marley Sutton was 2nd, Makinlee Bloesser 3rd, Austin Maycumber 4th, Kendyl Bloesser 5th, McKinley Sutton 6th and Seth Shadden 7th.


Two weeks later members competed in the Allen Community College Aggie Day Livestock Judging contest. The teams ranked 5th and 8th overall with Makinlee Bloesser leading the way with an 18th place individual finish.

Area News, Bourbon County, Youth

Second Annual Cattle Show At Bourbon County Fairgrounds March 19 Results

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Photos submitted by Hannah Montee.

Submitted by Hannah Montee

The second annual Southeast Kansas Spring Classic was held at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds in Fort Scott, KS on Saturday, March 19, 2022. Kids from across Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma came out for a shot at winning banners, cash, and prizes.

This is a one-day cattle show featuring bulls, breeding heifers, market heifers, market steers, and a showmanship class for all ages.

This year there were 6 Bulls, 93 Breeding Heifers, 6 Market Heifers, 51 Market Steers, and 71 Showmanship entries (ages 7-18) + a peewee and adult class, for a total of 152 calves and 227 total entries. There were 18 total breeds represented between the bulls and heifers.

The show is hosted by Adam and Hannah Montee of Arma. They hosted the show for the first time last year to give kids another chance to showcase their animals. Plans are already underway for next year’s show.

A huge thank you is extended to the Bourbon County Fair Board for the use of the fairgrounds. Their support and help throughout the process is greatly appreciated.

The results of the show:

Bull show –

Champion Angus: Easton Newsome

Grand Overall: Adysin McCarley – Lim-Flex (Girard, KS)

Reserve Overall: Josie Wilkins – Maine-Angus (Lamar, AR)

Top 2 breeding heifers –

• Angus: Grand – Grant Ward  ||  Reserve – Corbin Ellerman

• Balancer: Grand: Hadlee Ketcherside

• Charolais: Grand – Jaden Teter  ||  Reserve – Kensi Reed

• Charolais Comp: Grand – Braelynn Reed  ||  Reserve – Kristy Beene

• Chi: Grand – Stockton Scott  ||  Reserve – Carmun Scott

• Commercial: Grand – Mayci Wilkins  ||  Reserve – Addy Burns

• Hereford: Grand – Grant Ward ||  Reserve – Drew Ballard

• Limousine: Grand – Aliston McCarley || Reserve – Maddix Small

• Lim-Flex: Grand – Adysin McCarley  ||  Reserve – Clara Farran

• Maine-Angus: Grand – Cassidy Barker || Reserve: Stockton Scott

• Maine-Anjou: Grand – Dexter Small  ||  Reserve – TJ Mills

• Maintainers: Grand – Madison Mcgee ||  Reserve – Braxtyn Evenson

• Mini Hereford: Grand – Morgan Pattimore || Reserve: Jayson Peterson

• Red Angus: Grand – Lucas Bowling  ||  Reserve – Greta Rosenhagen

• Shorthorn/Shorthorn Plus: Grand – Wyatt Fechter  ||  Reserve – Kristin Penn

• Simmental: Grand – Ethan Kunkel  ||  Reserve – Hayes Rickstrew

• % Simmental: Grand – Olivia Walrod  ||  Reserve – Elsie Rickstrew

Breeding Heifers Final Drive Results –

Grand: Grant Ward (Angus)

Reserve: Cassidy Barker (Maine-Angus)

3rd: Corbin Ellerman (Angus)

4th: Olivia Walrod (% Simmental)

5th: Ethan Kunkel (Simmental)

Market heifers:

Grand: Mayci Wilkins (Lamar, AR)

Reserve: Wyatt Fetcher (Howard, KS)

Market Steer Final Drive Results –

Grand: Wyatt Collard (Class 9)

Reserve: Kyanna Lankton (Class 10)

3rd Overall: Wyatt Collard (Class 4)

4th Overall: Jarrett Birk (Class 5)

5th Overall: Halle Delk (Class 3)

Top 5 Senior showman –

Grand: Josie Wilkins (Lamar, AR)

Reserve: Kyanna Lankton (Le Roy, KS)

3rd: Corbin Ellerman (Atchison, KS)

4th: Lilly Parks (Emporia, KS)

5th: Clara Farran (El Dorado Spring, MO)

Top 5 Intermediate showman –

Grand: Elsie Rickstrew (Wamego, KS)

Reserve: Olivia Walrod (Bronaugh, MO)

3rd: Kennedi Hettinger (Drexel, MO)

4th: Jaylynn Birk (Yates Center, KS)

5th: Drew Ballard (Inman, KS)

Top 5 Junior showman –

Grand: Mayci Wilkins (Lamar, AR)

Reserve: Halle Delk (Harrison, AR)

3rd: Stockton Scott (Havana, KS)

4th: Braxtyn Evenson (Eureka, KS)

5th: Josephine Razey (Augusta, KS)

Results from our peewee and adult showmanship classes:

• Adult showmanship –

Grand: Austin Waltz

Reserve: Brook Falk

• Peewee showmanship –

Grand: Kash Hettinger

Tie for Reserve: Kane Stainbrook and Emery Mengarelli

 

Fort Scott, Youth

Joshua Kobernat: New Keyhole Ministry Director

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Joshua Kobernat. Submitted photo.
Joshua Kobernat, 19, is the new director of the Keyhole Ministry,  1002 S. Main Street, Fort Scott.
“The ministry provides the community a safe space for youth from 6th to 12th grade to hang out,” Kobertnat said. “The Keyhole has video games, TV, board games, puzzles, a basketball court, and concessions.”
They have special gatherings as well.
“Our next event will be a St. Patrick’s day party on March 17,” Kobernat said. “We’ll be giving out free food and playing games to win prizes. We also hope to start up a weekly Bible study in April.”
Kobernat graduated high school in 2020 and took a year of Bible college at Heartland Baptist Bible College, Oklahoma City, OK.
He is the oldest of ten children of  Dan and Amy Kobernat.
“They serve the community through Bethel Community Baptist Church and Christian Learning Center,” he said.
He also is a member of Bethel Community Baptist Church, whose members provide the community with the Living Nativity and other Christmas events and also offers the Reformers Unanimous ministry for those who are struggling with addictions.

He has served with assisting his church’s Vacation Bible School and taught Sunday School classes.

Kobernat started on March 2.
“The majority of my job involves overseeing the students that come in, as well as scheduling and preparing for events,” he said.
“I have always loved working with the youth,” Kobernat said. “I think that the Keyhole is a unique establishment through which these students can be themselves and I am blessed to play a small role in their lives.”
The facility is located across from Fort Scott High School at 1002 S. Main. The phone number is 620-223-4700.
The current board members of the Keyhole are Amber Goodbody,

Ryan Goodbody, Emily Diebolt, Judy Hood and Marge Madison.