Three talented young speakers from local 4-H clubs once again provided one of the highlight at this year’s Estevan Farmers’ Appreciation Evening.
Slade Erdman, a junior member from the Outram-Madigan 4-H Beef Club, Karina Hjorteland, a junior with the Browning 4-H Club, and Keaton Walter, a cloverbud of the Benson 4-H Beef Club, entertained the audience who gathered for the banquet on Tuesday evening at the Beefeater Plaza.
Slade discussed his love of fishing, which he discovered last year. He recalled sitting in a boat, waiting for a fish to bite a hook.
“When I felt a tug on my rod as the fish bit, I couldn’t wait to see how big it was, if I could get it in the boat that is,” said Slade.
When he wasn’t fishing, Slade said he was thinking about fishing.
Then the fall arrived, and he realized that winter was approaching, and he couldn’t fish any longer. Slade was sad, until he learned about ice fishing. His father even built an ice fishing shack.
“It has a wood stove, so we don’t freeze, and for making snacks,” said Slade. “All it needs is a hammock, for slow times.”
Slade also received an ice fishing rod for Christmas.
“Once we set up, I dropped my line down the hole, and I waited,” he said. “And waited. And waited at the top of my line, and then I waited some more. Sometimes you catch fish, and sometimes the fish don’t bite your hook. They bite everybody else’s.”
But he always has fun, and Slade will be dreaming of his next big catch.
Karina took a unique approach to her speech, as she chronicled the process of creating a speech.
“I think and think. What do I want to write my speech about? Any topic in the world. Really. Do you know how hard it is to pick just one thing, out of millions of things to talk about?” she asked.
After consideration, she decided to write about 4-H speeches.
The speech needs to be age-appropriate and something of interest to the audience. And she needs to develop an introduction and a conclusion.
“Just as important is how you present your speech,” she said. “You should look the part. You don’t have to look like a prince or a princess, but you can’t show up in your chore clothes. You can dress up as something, or bring a prop that goes with the topic of your speech.”
Karina also talked about the need for good posture, eye contact, a smile and preparation, and the importance of making a good impression on the judges.
She admits she has been scared of speaking in front of a crowd, but now she’s not intimated any more, she delivers better presentations in school and she is more comfortable talking to those she doesn’t know.
Keaton’s speech focused on his love of sports. In hockey, the novice player is both a forward and a defenceman. When he’s not on the ice, he loves to play mini-sticks with his brothers, or shoot pucks in the driveway.
“My mom always says, ‘Keaton, don’t you want to do anything else?’ Nope. I can shoot pucks all day,” said Keaton.
He started playing lacrosse last year, and it’s a rough sport. But he has found a love for the game, including body-checking.
Then there’s football, which also has the physical element that he enjoys.
Baseball and golf are other sports he loves, and he has also found a love for hip hop.
“But it’s actually a good workout … and I work up a real sweat with my moves,” said Keaton.
Sports are a lot of fun, and he said they keep him out of trouble.
Basketball, volleyball, martial arts and wrestling are among the other sports he’ll likely try next.
