2012 PA Pork Bowl, Skillathon, and Speaking contests

2012 Pork Skillathon Contest Rule

1.  Contest is open to all Pennsylvania youth currently enrolled in a 4-H or FFA swine project.  Participants must be 8 to 19 years as of January 1, 2012.

2. All participants will compete as individuals.

3. Contest will have two divisions.  Youth 8-13 will participate in the Junior division.  Youth 14-19 years old will participate in the Senior division. Management reserves the right to equalize the divisions by adjusting age breaks.

4. The contest will involve 6 stations.  The stations may include:

Feed ingredient ID
Swine equipment ID
Swine Parts ID
Internal Organ ID
Swine Management quiz
Judge a class of Pork Chops
Breeds of Swine

5.               Each station will have a monitor to answer non specific questions and to assure silence among participants.

Swine Bowl Rules - Conduct:

1.   Teams shall consist of no less than three and no more than four team members. Ages may range from 8 - 19 years of age as of January 1, 2012. Participants must be currently enrolled in a 4-H or FFA swine project. Counties may not mix 4-H and FFA members to make one team unless youth are verified members in both 4-H and FFA in that County. 

2.   Pork Bowl members who have been on a First place Pork Bowl team for 2 consecutive years and are over the age of 15 may no longer compete on a Pork Bowl team 

3.   Teams will compete in a series of one-on-one elimination contests until the top team is chosen. The teams will be assigned at random to the first round of competition immediately after registration. Some teams may be awarded a "bye" as a part of the assignment process. Teams will consist of three or four team members.

4.   Competition between teams will be in three (3) phases:

      PHASE A - Eight questions will be asked per team. Each team member in rotation will be asked a question. Correct answers are worth 10 points with no deduction for incorrect answers. No team-mate assistance may be offered or received. Each team member will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.

      PHASE B - Each team will be asked five (5) questions of a higher degree of difficulty. Answers are to be given by the team captain, but team members may consult before the captain gives the answer. Correct answers are worth 10 points with no deductions for incorrect answers. Each team will be given one minute to answer.

      PHASE C - A total of fifteen (15) questions will be asked.

     a)   Questions correctly answered in Phase C will be worth 10 points.

      b)   There will be no team discussion of questions in Phase C.

c)   The first team member to signal will answer the questions within five (5) seconds after being acknowledged by the judge or lose 5 points. Any member answering without being acknowledged will lose 5 points. If an incorrect answer is given, the team will lose 5 points and a member from the other team has the opportunity to answer the question after it is reread. If the second team answers the question correctly, it will receive 10 points. The second team will not lose points for an incorrect answer.

d)   If neither team can offer an answer to the question within 10 seconds, the moderator will give the answer. Neither team will forfeit points.

e)   If a T or F question is asked in the third round and answered incorrectly, the question will not be asked of the other team, but another question will be asked of that team. No discussion will be permitted. If the question is answered correctly, the team will be awarded 10 points. 

5.   No bonus questions will be asked at any phase of the contest.

6.   Questions will be taken from the Pork Industry Handbook and Pork Industry magazines and the Pork Quality Assurance Plus Program

7.  Questions for each of the three phases will be provided by Penn State Swine    Specialists.  Each team will answer the same questions.  The sample questions sent to teams are only to be a study help.  The purpose of the contest is to test the participant’s knowledge of the swine industry, not to test his/her ability to memorize.

8.   The total team score from the first round of competition will determine the 3^rd place and lower teams.  The top two scoring teams from round one will compete to determine first and second place.  First and second place will be determined by TOTAL points from round 1 and 2. 

9.   All ages will compete in one division.

10. No studying of questions will be allowed during the contest.

11. Coaches will be seated in an area behind the teams so that no answers can be given by the use of lip movement of hand signals.

12. Contest Chairman reserves the right to limit the number of teams from each county based on the number of overall teams entered.