Our social chairs stay hopping all year to provide the club with good, clean, wholesome fun! We always enjoy the winter activities of broomball and snowtubing, and that fall bonfire is a great time! All our activities are lots of fun and they are a good way to unite those in the club, as well as to interact with other clubs in the College of Ag!
Penn State Stockman's Club Meeting
Every year, members of the Penn State Stockman’s Club attend a Block and Bridle meeting and provide food (this year it was Pizza!) for the social gathering. The Stockman's Club representatives present give a brief presentation about what the club does as a Department of Animal Science alumni organization. The Stockman's Club also invites graduating B&B members to their annual banquet and encourages members to join upon graduation. It is with support from organizations like the Stockman's Club that we can accomplish so much in a year! Shown here are some of the more local members of the Penn State Stockman's Club (picture from the Department of Animal Science website).
Welcome Back Picnic
Each year members of the Block and Bridle Club gather to welcome back current members and the prospective new members. The students socialize while enjoying burgers, hotdogs, and much more. Prospective new members have the opportunity to learn more about the events Block and Bridle participates in and to meet the executive committee and club advisors. Members participate in the traditional Big “B” and Little “B”, where new students pick a current member to be their Big “B”. The job of the Big “B” is to keep prospective members updated on upcoming events within the club and to really make them feel welcome at the University Park Campus. The picnic is always a huge success and many new students are interested and join the club each year.
Ag Hill Olympics
Every year Agriculture Student Council hosts an Ag Hill Olympics. This is an opportunity for all the clubs on Ag Hill to come together and have a little fun through friendly competition. Each club is required to enter at least one team. With each team the club must have an event prepared for students to compete in. Events may include things like Pin-the-Shot-on-the-Cow, which is a dart game based off of Beef Quality Assurance principles, and a tractor tire relay.
Pumpkin Carving
This is a classic social event, where members can get together in October and carve pumpkins for Halloween. This year, Block and Bridle competed against multiple other College of Ag. clubs in a pumpkin carving contest. We were blessed to have members that were able to donate pumpkins straight from their family farm for this event. It is always a night filled with fun, friends, and crazy carvings!
Intramural (IM) Sports
Members enjoy getting together throughout the year to play intramural football, basketball, and volleyball. Guys and girls represent our club extremely well against other organizations at Penn State, including our "rivals" over at the Dairy Science Club. We had such a great football season that we were able to make the playoffs!
National Convention
Every year, Penn State Block and Bridle attends National Convention, with a different university hosting each year. This year, the 102nd National Block and Bridle Convention was hosted by Louisiana State University and held in conjunction with the NCBA Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show. The club went down to New Orleans where members were able to sit-in on presentations from industry leaders, network during the Trade Show, and tour various facilities representing agriculture in Louisiana. This is a prime opportunity for students to make connections, obtain knowledge outside of the classroom, and have fun with their peers. Penn State Block and Bridle received first place nationally for chapter activities, second place for our yearbook, and fifth place for our scrapbook. We would also like to congratulate Erin Comp for receiving third place for the Outstanding Junior award. Although Erin has since graduated, the award encompassed her involvement and accomplishments from the prior year, when she was a junior.
North East Student Affiliate (NESA)
The North East Student Affiliate of the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) and the American Society of Animal Sciences (ASAS) is an event that Penn State Block and Bridle partakes in each year. This year club members headed up to the University of Maine, where the contest was held. The day began with a judging contest where sheep, dairy and beef cattle, swine, and horses were judged, along with a surprise class of oysters. During the afternoon students participated in the quiz bowl and gave industry presentations. Penn State had many highlights throughout the weekend. We were the top institution overall and came in first place for the quiz bowl competition in a nail-biting tiebreaker. Five out of six of the finalists for presentations came from Penn State, and many of our members, along with members of the Dairy Science Club, performed incredibly well and represented us with the utmost class. Congrats to our team consisting of Elijah Earnest (B&B), Sara Bucher (B&B), Kendal Jenkins (D-Sci), and Paige Peiffer (D-Sci) for their excellent quiz bowl finale.
