Congratulations from UKC to the Winners at Youth Nationals
July 28, 2023
Department: Hunting Ops
Email: huntingops@ukcdogs.com
United Kennel Club wishes to congratulate our four major winners at the 23rd annual UKC Youth Nationals event, held July 21-22, in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Established in 2001, UKC Youth Nationals celebrates and spotlights the best young people in the sport of competitive coon hunting, and awards $10,000 in scholarship monies annually, split between winners in the nite hunt and bench show competitions. Young exhibitors do not need to pre-qualify for this event, as with some other UKC competition hunts, but must be between 5 and 17 years of age as of the event dates.
This year's Senior Division Nite Hunt Youth National Champion was Brooke Sneed, of Cherryville, North Carolina. As a result of her win, Brooke will be awarded a $3,000 tuition award to assist with the cost of ongoing education, a Senior Division National Championship trophy, and a jacket to commemorate her victory. Brooke won her way to the final cast to determine the overall Senior Division winner with two cast wins, totaling 400+ points over the weekend. She finished 5th on Friday and 9th on Saturday overall, but was able to reach the final cast, and on getting there, won her way to a National Championship. Brooke was handling GRNITECH(2) 'PR' No Name Epp, a Treeing Walker Coonhound owned by Daniel Sneed.
Making up the remainder of the Final Cast was:
- Logan Dillon, of Kermit, West Virginia, handling NITECH 'PR' Late Night Trix, a Treeing Walker Coonhound, owned by Matthew Russ of Kentucky.
- Dixi Manns, of Harts, West Virginia, handling GRNITECH(3) 'PR' Ice Cold Dirty Cricket, a Treeing Walker Coonhound, owned by Chad Manns of West Virginia.
- and Hayden Bartram, of Liberty, Indiana, handling 'PR' Money Pit, a Treeing Walker Coonhound, owned by Ed Casper of Ohio.
As a result of making it to the Final Cast, these three young coon hunters each earned a $2,000 tuition award, and a Youth Nationals Final Four plaque.
The Junior Division Nite Hunt Youth National Champion was Josh Ashley, of Upton, Kentucky. Josh won his first cast on Friday with 'PR' Full Throttle Tootsie Roll, a Treeing Walker Coonhound owned by James Ashley of Kentucky. Complicating matters for the young hunter, the dog came into heat on Saturday morning. Undeterred, Josh was able to find a backup dog, and handled 'PR' Country's Big Nasty, a Bluetick Coonhound owned by Bryan Adams of Kentucky on Saturday to another cast win, and to the Junior Division National Championship. As a result of his win, Josh earned a $1,000 tuition award, with a Junior Division National Championship Trophy and a jacket.
On Saturday, July 22, UKC held the bench show to crown Junior and Senior Division Bench Show Youth National Champions.
The Senior Division Bench Show Youth National Champion was 17-year-old Hunter Shifflett, of Ruckersville, Virginia. Hunter was handling CH 'PR' Rockin Ws Luke At Me!, a Bluetick Coonhound he co-owns with Whitney Killough of Arkansas. As a result of the win, Hunter received a National Championship trophy, a jacket, and a new wire dog crate with a customized cover, as well as a $50 Cabela's gift card and a Eukanuba dog blanket.
In the Junior Division, the Bench Show Youth National Champion was 11-year-old Brooke Bally, of Tomah, Wisconsin. Brooke handled GRCH(3) CCH 'PR' Skylines Stay In Your Lane, a Treeing Walker Coonhound owned by Megan O'Connor and Beth Jenkins of Iowa. For her win, Brook received an identical prize package as Senior Division winner Hunter Shiffletta National Championship trophy, a jacket, a new wire dog crate with customized cover, a $50 Cabela's gift card, and a Eukanuba dog blanket.
UKC applauds these young bench show exhibitors and hunters for their accomplishment, which is the culmination of thousands of hours of training and preparation. We look forward to these fine young people taking the mantle years down the road as the future of dog sports and competitive coon hunting.
Guided by the belief that dogs make a difference by being the best partner a human can have in the field, on the job, or in a competition event, UKC is a community for people and dogs to pursue excellence together. Founded in 1898, UKC has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of Dogs That Do More, and their owners, by providing essential resources to help owners and breeders make informed decisions. The dog-human bond is celebrated through family-friendly programs highlighting the instincts and heritage of purebred and mixed-breed dogs alike at over 18,000 licensed events annually.