818-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 17,1986
Lancaster 4-H'er Juan Rgueroa Wins in National Blue Form Contest
BY SUZANNE KEENE
Home and Youth Editor
Lancaster 4-H’er Juan Figueroa
was happy, but slightly confused,
when a letter arrived two weeks
ago informing him that his “blue
form*’ had topped a recent com
petition. He thought he had won in
state competition, when in fact he
was receiving a national award.
But a talk with Lancaster County
4-H agent Zoann Parker cleared up
any confusion when she assured
Lancaster City 4-H’er Juan Figueroa reviews the letter
informing him of his win in the National Blue Form Contest.
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him he had indeed won a national
honor.
“When she told me that it made
my day,’’ Juan said. “I couldn’t
believe it at first. I honestly didn’t
think I was even going to place.’’
Juan received the honor in the
foods and nutrition category of the
National Blue Form Contest. To
earn the award, Juan completed a
17-page “blue form” or report
outlining all of his 4-H activities.
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The award entitles him to an ex
pense-paid trip to National 4-H
Congress in Chicago this
December.
During the six and half years he
has been a member of die Lan
caster City Teens Club, 18-year-old
Juan has focused his 4-H activities
on nutrition and physical fitness
projects.
Because he entered 4-H through
the Expanded Foods and Nutrition
Program, Juan was limited in the
variety of projects he was per
mitted to select. However, the 6-
foot-one-inch teen notes, “I really
was interested in sports.”
Juan is a senior at Ephrata
Christian School, where he is a
forward on the basketball team;
the team won the state cham
pionship in their division for the
past two years. He was also a
member of the all-league soccer
team this year.
To stay in top physical condition,
Juan jogs the three miles home
from his after-school job at Burger
King. His busy schedule, which
begins at 5 a.m. and often ends as
late as 11 p.m., allows him to waste
little time. Juan said the bus ride to
school takes about 45 minutes to an
hour, so he uses that time study.
Juan got his start in 4-H when he
saw a group of kids gathered
around a college student. Upon
investigation, he found a 4-H club
led by Barb Herr and Jan Allen
and decided to join.
Although his peers taunted him
about belonging to a 4-H club, Juan
opted to continue in the program.
“City people think of 4-H as far
ming and cooking,” Juan ex
plained. His buddies considered 4-
H a program for girls only.
“Jan Allen was the one who
really encouraged me to con
tinue,” Juan remembers. “I
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promised her I’d try for Out
standing 4-H’er.”
Juan sees winning the blue form
competition as one step toward
that goal. “By competing in this I
think I have a better chance of
winning Outstanding 4-H’er,” he
said.
Lancaster 4-H agent Zoann
Parker has only words of praise for
Juki. “Juan is a one in a million
kid,” she said. “He has a lot of
personal desire to achieve and
goes the extra mile to do a good
job.”
Juan is also well liked among his
peers and leaders, Zoann noted.
Adult leaders selected Juan to be
this year’s 4-H camp host and he
was chosen by leaders and peers to
be a council member at Leader
ship Congress.
In addition to his most recent
honor, Juan has a number of other
awards to his credit. He was a
YORK The Mount Zion
Trailblazers 4-H Horse and Pony
Club will hold an “Open Schooling
Show,” Saturday, June 7 at Spring
Valley Park.
Featured this year will be a
‘ ‘Greenbroke Championship”
along with English and Western
championship and reserve
champion. Six trophy classes, such
as English and Western
Equitation, Walk-Trot-Jog
Equitation and 4-H Pleasure, will
also be offered. Ribbons are of
fered to six places.
The horse must have less than
two years showing experience to
be eligible for classes such as
Greenbroke Pleasure, Greenbroke
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member of the Lancaster County
physical fitness team, which
placed ninth at State Days in 1983
and was named to the 4-H honor
roll that same year. He attended
Leadership Congress at Penn State
two years ago.
Following high school
graduation in June, Juan hopes to
attend Fairhaven Baptist College
to study secondary education. He
credits 4-H with helping him make
that decision.
As a 4-H teen leader, Juan had
the opportunity to teach younger
kids and to encouarge them to
continue in 4-H. That experience,
he said, “has helped me decide
what I want as my future.”
That future should be a bright
one if he approaches it with the
same attitude he has adopted
toward his 4-H activities. “I want
to be like the 4-H motto says, ‘to
make the best better,’ ” Juan said.
Riding Pattern Class, Greenbroke
Break and Out.
Among the 26 classes offered are
Open Grooming and Showman
ship, Lead Line Equitation, Bosal
Pleasure, Costume Class, Trail
Class, Cross Rails Jump and
Novice Hunter.
Food and refreshments will be
available the day of the show. The
show beings at 9 a.m. with Herm
Gailey judging. Participants will
pay a $2 entry fee per class.
Copies of showlist and directions
to Spring Valley Park are
available by sending a self
addressed stamped envelope to:
Mount Zion Trailblazers 4-H Club,
c/o Fran Knaub-Keller, 3446 Druck
Valley Road, York, PA 17402.
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