Last year, Future Farmers of America students at Gila Ridge High School placed in the top three at the inaugural National TurfGrass Science Invitational. As a result, they were invited to compete again this year.
On Jan. 20, they earned third and eighth place out of 20 teams across the nation in Fort Worth, Texas.
“I am beyond proud of my students and their efforts in this year’s turf competition,” said Gila Ridge Career and Technical Education agriculture instructor Laramie Pruit. “From focused study during school practices to countless hours spent preparing outside of class, these students dedicated hundreds of hours to this competition. These young men demonstrated exceptional dedication to their studies and represented our FFA chapter and community with excellence at the national level."
The competition focuses on turfgrass science, a field that involves managing grass used in golf courses, sports fields, parks and other landscaped areas. Turfgrass management draws on plant science, soil science and chemistry—subjects commonly taught within agricultural education programs.
According to the Yuma Union High School District, the competition included:
- a knowledge test
- certification testing
- skills practicums demonstrating hands-on turf management
- case study reviews presented before a panel of industry experts
Some practicum stations required students to identify industry-relevant tools, turfgrass plants and insects that can be either beneficial or harmful to turf systems. Other exercises involved repairing turf and irrigation systems and calibrating sprayers used for turf maintenance.
Seven students from Gila Ridge competed, split into two teams. The four-student team of Blake Johnson, Trent Karvoski, Gavin Schreiber and Gage Sullivan earned a third-place finish.
The second team — Cooper Caddell, Allen Lopez Enriquez and Chris Inglett — competed with a points disadvantage due to a missing team member but still placed eighth overall.
This reporting is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
