Pinellas 4-H at LifeSmarts
Four members of the 4-H Technology Team, Richard, Becky, Andrew, and Eric competed in the Florida state LifeSmarts competition hosted annually at the Florida State Fair. LifeSmarts is a trivia-based competition with questions about consumer education, health, technology, and environment. The four team members reached the state level competition by taking an online test and having one of the top eighteen cumulative scores in the state. Thirteen teams participated at the state level competition for a chance to win an all expenses paid trip to the national LifeSmarts competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The State Competition consisted of a double elimination tournament involving two or three teams each round. At the state competition, the 4-H Team survived two rounds of the competition, but was defeated in the third round by the 4-H Team from Duval County who eventually won the competition.
This year was the first year that Pinellas County 4-H participated in the LifeSmarts competition and making it to the state competition is an accomplishment worthy of high praise. Three of the four team members on this year’s team are seniors in high school and will unfortunately not be able to compete in any more competitions. However, with the success of this year’s team, the 4-H Technology Team is hopeful that Pinellas 4-H will continue to compete in LifeSmarts competitions for years to come.
After the LifeSmarts Competition the four team members reflected on their experiences with LifeSmarts:
Richard- “ I just wish I could have gotten involved in this competition earlier because I am already a senior and can’t compete again.”
Andrew - “ It was a good experience. It was fun but challenging at the same time, and I enjoyed being on a team. Also I really enjoyed the fair.”
Eric - “ I think that we had a lot of success for a first year team. Making it to the state level felt great. Losing at the state level felt terrible. Some of the rides at the fair felt great and terrible at the same time.”
Becky - “LifeSmarts was a fun and competitive experience. The fair wasn’t too bad either.”