Jill Hefner and Dutch at work
by Holly Campbell
The "Jake and Clayton Memorial Dog Trial on the Frio Draw" was held in Friona at Tommy and Jill Hefner's home April 7-10. I was excited to be able to watch some of the runs and I learned so much. Jill puts 100% into everything she does and is amazing to watch. She had over 100 handlers coming from Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Missouri ranging in age from 15 to 84! There were three classes of competitions: Open Class, Open Ranch, and Nursery. The nursery class is defined by having a dog younger than 3 years old doing the same course as older dogs. It was very impressive. Jill ran her three dogs, Dutch, Mo and Fae.
Jill has had a huge influence on 15 year old Brenna Rushing, daughter of Will and Amy Rushing, with many hours being spent together. Brenna's first trial was last year at age 14 and I know Jill is so proud of her. Brenna's dog she has trained is named Cap, who came from Jill's female dog, Nan. Jill's determination and patience is evident to everyone around her. She goes above and beyond in everything she does, all while dealing with major medical issues. Jill's husband Tommy, and daughter Callie were also there to help with anything needed. She gives lots of thanks to the out of town judges, setout crew, scribes, course directors, sponsors and friends who cooked and served meals.
Tommy and Jill's son, Jake had a tragic airplane accident a few years ago and this dog trial was a memorial for Jake and his best friend Clayton. I interviewed Jill and this is her story in her words. I am blessed to call her my friend.
"My husband and I have 9 border collies. Tommy came to the marriage with a working border collie, and we've had pet border collies ever since. When the kids went off to college, I decided that I wanted to have a border collie that would do what they're bred to do. So I flew to South Carolina and brought a pup back. We ended up getting a few sheep to train her (and that led to more and more sheep!) She turned into a tremendous working dog. She has produced talented dogs, including my trial dogs, Fae and Mo. I currently compete with three dogs, Fae, Mo and Dutch, who I imported from Holland.
I started competing in sheepdog trials in 2019, though I only went to a couple a year until 2021. Most of the trials I go to are in Texas, but I've been to South Dakota and to the Bluegrass Classic in Lexington, Kentucky. I hope to attend the Bluegrass again in mid May.
The trial at my house was something I've wanted to do for a while. Lots of folks came together to make this event happen. About 100 teams of handlers and dogs came, some coming from as far away as Missouri. All the proceeds will go to a trust fund I set up for my grandson, Rex. Someday I'll need to place my dogs elsewhere because of my health. All those proceeds will also go into that fund. It makes my heart happy to know that I'm giving something to Rex that comes from the dogs that have brought so much joy to my life."
Brenna Rushing and Cap
There's the Beef — Approximately 1600 steaks were sold at the FHS Senior Steak Dinner last Sunday. The Senior Class of 2022 parents would like to thank everyone who helped prepare and distribute the meals and those who bought tickets to help fund the All Night Alcohol/Drug Free Graduation Party. If you would like to make a donation for the graduation party, make your check payable to Friona Senior All Night Party and mail it to Tonia Abarca, 3767 Hwy 214, Friona, TX 79035.
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Seek and Find — Legacy Pointe Senior Apartments is hosting a Glow-In-The-Dark Easter egg hunt on Thursday April 14th from 6:30 p.m. till 8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and free photos with the Easter Bunny will be available. Legacy Pointe is located at 1500 Main St. in Friona.
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Up in Smoke — The Friona Vocational Agriculture Association would like to thank everyone who purchased a smoked ham last week. Proceeds will be used to help fund Friona FFA and FCCLA projects.
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5 Degrees of Separation — Sharon White — Sharon's sister Carol — Carol's best friend — Carol's best friend's son (Logan Adams) is Esdras Rodriguez's mentor at Harvard. See March 31st Friona Star. Logan tells Sharon that it is the "top program" in the nation. Esdras didn't think Logan would know where Friona is. Finding Friona is easy, just go to the middle of nowhere and hang a right!
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Not just for Apes — Banana day focuses on the nutrition of the fruit. This low-fat, low-calorie snack offers a boost of fiber, potassium, and vitamins, with B6 and C leading the way. It also provides a healthy gram of protein, too. Add a banana to your morning cereal or grab one to go with your granola. They also add so much delicious flavor to baked goods. Many bakers know that when those bananas turn brown to toss them in the freezer for baking muffins and breads later.
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FYI — No school on Friday, April 15 or Monday, April 18th. Enjoy the long Easter holiday.
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National Days
April 14: Gardening Day
April 15: Good Friday
April 16: Eggs Benedict Day
April 17: Easter
April 18: Lineman Appreciation Day
April 19: Garlic Day
April 20: Banana Day
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The Dairy Cattle Team is headed back to State. They won the Area 1 contest by 99 points. This was out of 26 teams and 102 individuals.
Dieter Ally was 1st high individual
Tim Ally was 2nd high individual
Stef Ally was 3rd high individual
Elijah Robledo was 12th high individual
All FFA contest results in next week's Friona Star!!!
The A-Team (l-r): Dieter, Stef, Tim, and Elijah
The Friona FFA Advanced Ag Mechanics classes attended the Wichita Falls Weld Off. Eleven students received welding certifications. They are (l-r): Gabriel Abarca, Stef Ally, Diovanny Ponce Gonzalez, Kenneth Morales, Martin Godinez, Osvaldo Centeno, Heston Grimsley, Jose Ticum, Xuan Garcia, Anthony Diaz, and Jacob Rando.
Friona FCCLA students attended the State FCCLA Conference on April 6th-9th in Dallas. Blanca Chávez was installed as Region 1 President in a special installation ceremony. What a leader she has proven to be already. Fabian Salinas, Nevaeh Galan, Jacee Burney, Saraya Luna and Jennyfer Munoz competed and represented FCCLA as well.
Highlights and photos courtesy of FHS FCCLA instructor Erin Barnett.
Alexis Soto received a gold medal for her FCSA assessment on the FCCLA Creed, Motto and Purposes.
Xavier Guerra, Elaney Arzate, and Sophia Leon received Evaluator's Choice and People's Choice for their Spotlight Project, Student body: "Positivity Makes Me Bloom."
Gayle Murdock was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Blanca Chávez was installed as Region 1 President
Nadia Snyder received a 2nd place in her star event: Teach and Train, level 2. The second place finish makes Nadia a National qualifier.