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THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021 VOLUME 95 ■ ISSUE 23

LA VIDA

SPORTS

Tech alumna turns hobby into upand-coming business.

Beard recognizes team, Lubbock following season.

Self-defense education needed at Tech.

OPINIONS

ONLINE View trending posts of the week on our Instagram account @dailytoreador.

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ONLINE

INDEX LA VIDA SPORTS OPINIONS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS SUDOKU

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MEAT JUDGING

Tech Meat Judging adds to legacy

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

Carcasses are tagged and hung in one of the meat lockers in the Animal and Food Sciences building in order to help prepare the Meat Judging Team for competition. The Meat Judging Team won its 15th National Championship this year.

By ZACH RICHARDS Sports Editor

The monetary return and popularization of Power Five sporting at the university level typically resides in football, basketball, baseball or other athletics programs that bring national attention to a university.

But for Texas Tech, the most successful athletic program is within the halls of the Animal and Food Sciences building in the heart of its campus - meat judging.

What started over one decade ago has blossomed into a storied dynasty, and at the forefront is head coach Mark Miller.

Some describe Miller as a legend, some a professor and some a winner. But the foundation of all talk resides in Miller’s outspoken faith and desire to help others.

“He’s not only our coach, but he’s a leader in our lives,” Cassie Bendele, a junior animal science major, said. “He really wants us to grow together … Without him, me and 22 other people wouldn’t be nearly as

close as we are; he helped us become best friends and a family.”

But his focus on team bonding is not to be replaced with the talent and keen eye for meat judging that Miller holds.

Involved in research with collaborators at USDA, Cargill, Tyson, Nebraska Beef and a host of others, according to Tech’s website, Miller has devoted decades of work to his craft. He was also one of the first people to look into food safety interventions in reducing pathogen levels in meat products.

Earning his masters from Tech and Ph.D. from A&M, Miller has mastered the craft.

“Dr. Miller is a living, walking legend. Not just at Tech, but in all of science industries. He certainly provides a lot of guidance and a lot of insight, he’s kind of the hierarchy of the coaching program we have,” Connor Mckenzie, a senior animal science major from Stephenville, said.

McKenzie, who once served on the team, is now assisting with the

coaching load.

Competition aside, though, meat judging is commonly seen as a segway into other trails of life.

A stepping stone to generate life lessons and other important aspects of growing up, and those philosophies stand at the forefront of Tech’s program.

“Winning is not the real reason we meat judge,” Miller said. “Meat judging is just a vehicle through which we can help students become better prepared to go out and impact the world … We really don’t talk about winning, because winning is like, seventh, on the list of things that we need to accomplish.”

A family atmosphere, grades and personal growth are all among things Miller listed above winning.

And his coaching skill and ability to positively influence the minds of his students is unparalleled.

But aside from Miller, each participant has his or her own ultimate goals within meat judging and while on the meat judging team.

“Academics are always a prior-

ity,” McKenzie said.

For Bendele, a stout accomplishment in the midst of a decorated resume and personal growth are the takeaways from her tenure at Tech meat judging.

“It’s building us as people,” she said. “Nothing prepares you for the real world like meat judging does.”

Bendele’s 2021 tenure marked the end of her meat judging career at Tech, but her departure saw a flurry of accomplishments as well.

In fact, Bendele cemented her name into one of the most valuable competitors for Tech, with highlevel finishes outlining her studded junior campaign. Bendele placed top-three in every meat judging event she participated in throughout the semester.

In her first event, a starting, third-place finish at the Mountain West in January only improved.

She went on with back-to-back first-place finishes at the Lonestar Classic in February and another gold finish in Houston in March.

But her abilities stretch far be-

yond just competitive medals.

“Cassie is a great leader because she cares for her other teammates.

And even though she’s individually successful, she can bring the rest of her teammates to a much higher level by caring about them and helping them understand the things she understands,” Miller said. “With her success, the chances of the team’s success also rose.”

For a program with a steadfast bounty of success, Bendele continued the tradition of excellence.

A tradition that has been seasoned to perfection for years.

Trophies line their facilities with text of first-place finishes at the local, state and national level.

Two global world championships and nine of last 13 national championships (15 overall) are just some of Tech Meat Judging’s few crowning achievements through the years.

But to many, meat judging is an entirely different landscape of sporting.

SEE MEAT, PG. 6

PROFILE

Katharine Hayhoe to join Nature Conservancy in June

By TEA MCGILVRAY Staff Writer

Katharine Hayhoe, Atmospheric scientist, co-director of the Texas Tech Climate Center and professor of political science will begin her new position as Chief Scientist of the Nature Conservancy in June 2021.

She previously served as a lead author for the second, third and fourth U.S. Climate Change Assessments that were released under the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations. Hayhoe currently teaches classes on climate change and climate weather risks.

Hayhoe did not always plan on working in climate science. While she was pursuing her undergraduate degree in astrophysics at the University of Toronto, she took an elective where she learned climate science was the same physics she had been learning in her astrophysics class, and how climate change is not only a future issue

but a current issue.

“Climate change is an urgent issue, and it affects every aspect of our lives. It affects the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, our jobs, the economy, national security. It affects everything,” Hayhoe said. “To care about climate change we only have to be one thing, and that’s a human living on this planet.”

The Nature Conservancy works in dozens of countries around the world on conservation and biodiversity and recognizes climate change as a threat multiplier. Hayhoe said this means all of the issues around today will be made worse by climate change, from biodiversity to poverty to pandemics, and society cannot fix any of these issues until climate change is solved.

Hayhoe said she wants to accomplish increasing awareness of the severity of climate change issues and the availability and potential of solutions while working with the Nature Conservancy. She plans to

continue to prepare for the impacts of climate change and invest in nature-based solutions.

During her transition, she will be stepping down as co-director of the Climate Center and reducing her time at Tech to work with the Nature Conservancy.

“I wish that everyone realized that the climate is changing, humans are responsible, the impacts are serious and the time to act is now,” Hayhoe said. “I also wished people realized that a thermometer doesn’t give you a different answer depending on how you vote. Climate change affects all of us whether we are Republican or Democrat. Climate change is a human issue, and it just makes sense to fix it.”

Although climate science data has been available since the 1800s, Hayhoe said the biggest challenge to her work is that climate change is one of the most politically polarized issues in the U.S.

SEE HAYHOE, PG. 3

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

Katharine Hayhoe speaks about climate science at the Fox and Hound Tavern.

Hayhoe has won numerous awards in her time at Texas Tech and will be joining the Nature Conservancy in June 2021.

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NEWS

MARCH 25, 2021

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CAMPUS

Tech experts discuss Title IX process

By HANNAH ISOM News Editor

When a student finds themselves victim to a sexual crime, they can often feel lost and alone, it can be helpful to know what resources the Texas Te c h c a m p u s o f f e r s i n these times.

According to the Tech Title IX website, Title IX is a federal law prohibiting discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity.

Sex-based discrimination includes sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual misconduct, interpersonal violence, stalking, discrimination or harassment based on gender identity or sexual orientation and pregnancy, nursing and parenting discrimination.

Meredith Holden, assistant Title IX coordinator at Tech, said anytime something is reported to the Title IX office, their first step is to reach out to the student via email. The email contains information about the office and why they are contacting the student.

“We don’t share specifics in that email, just because we’re not 100 percent sure who’s getting those emails,” Holden said.

Additionally, the student is invited to meet with individuals in the Title IX office and is encouraged to wait until they are ready to talk about the situation, Holden said. It is not required to talk to someone in the Title IX office, they just want to make sure the student has access to all the resources they need.

If a student decides to meet, most of the meeting time is used to discuss what resources the individual may need and a small portion is used to discuss what the next steps could be, Holden said.

The Title IX office has two graduate assistants to help create a comfortable environment for people when they come in to talk, Holden said. These assistants are called Campus Advocacy Response and Education (CARE) Coordinators.

“Some students just feel more comfortable talking to another student,” Holden said.

The Title IX office does not move forward with any investigations or contacting of the other party unless the student desires t o d o s o , H o l den s ai d.

The only circumstance in which they would move

forward would be if the alleged individual had a pattern of breaking the sexual misconduct codes.

If that decision is made, the student is alerted and is given the opportunity to participate.

Abigail Wesson, Title IX Training and Outreach coordinator, said there are two options if a student decides to file a formal complaint and participate in the formal grievance process and speak with an investigator.

The first option is an informal resolution, which is like a mediation, Wesson said. The second option is to pursue an investigation for disciplinary action. It can be important to note victims are free to pursue an investigation at any point regardless of how long it has been since the incident.

The Title IX office accepts reports from employees, students and their friends and families.

Individuals can report anonymously as well.

Though they do not believe these incidents are happening more often than they have in the past, Holden said the number of reports has increased dramatically. The increased support and care throughout campus and the social climate of the world may also have contributed to this increase.

“I think students just see the support they can get, they know our office is here strictly to help them,” Holden said.

Additionally, Holden said she believes Senate Bill 212, put in place Jan. 1, 2020, which states any employee that receives a paycheck from any higher education institution is required to report when they are made aware of incidents that fall under Title IX and if they do not, they will be terminated has assisted in the increas-

ing number of reports.

There is a lot of myths surrounding Title IX, and Wesson said this is one of the first things addressed when education student and faculty.

“I think a lot of students think that if a faculty or staff member submits a report, if a student submits a report, all of them think an investigation begins immediately,” Wesson said. “There’s a big Title IX red x over someone’s forehead, all of these people are going to know, several people will be contacted, and that could not be more opposite of what actually happens.”

The CARE Coordinators contribute to the Title IX office in many ways, the two graduate assistants discussed their role in the Title IX process.

Valeria Mucharraz, a graduate student from El Paso and a CARE coordinator within the Title IX office, said when students come into the office, she is there for their general intake meeting with Wesson or Holden and is responsible for reaching out regarding information discussed in the meeting.

Additionally, she makes sure students have access to any of the resources they may need.

Since COVID-19 began, Mucharraz said the Title IX office has seen an increase in domestic violence reports. She said she believes this is because people are quarantined with significant others.

The experience of working in the Title IX office has been meaningful and gratifying, Mucharraz said.

“Being able to be that support system for students is just, it’s a good feeling,” Mucharraz said.

Evan Johnson, a second-year law student and a CARE coordinator within the Title IX of-

fice, said she has learned a lot since starting her position in January 2021.

M o s t i m p o r t a n t l y, s h e has learned how to comm u n i c a t e t h e Ti t l e I X process effectively, as the subject can sometimes be overwhelming and how to be an empathetic listener.

“It’s not something that a lot of people know about and know the ins and outs of,” Johnson said.

Relationships and helping others have always been important to Johnson and is what drove her to pursue law. Johnson said her position as a CARE coordinator has given her the opportunity to connect with respondents and complainants,

which is helpful.

Additionally, she said she is thankful to be a part of the Title IX team.

“They’re wonderful people who truly care and work really hard for the Tech students,” Johnson said.

If a student wishes to reach out to the title IX office or file a report, Mucharraz said they can email or call the Title IX office, reach out to faculty, utilize the Title IX office’s website at Title IX | Title IX | TTU, or reach out through their newly created Instagram page.

T h e Ti t l e I X o f f i c e email is kimberly.simon@ ttu.edu, and the phone number is 806-834-1949. @HannahIsomDT

@DailyToreador www.dailytoreador.com

PROFILE

LA VIDA

Page 3 Thursday, March 25, 2021

Tech alumna turns hobby into up-and-coming business

By MADELEINE HALL Staff Writer

Fashion trends have a way of making a comeback, and this Texas Tech graduate turned a love for vintage clothing into a business of her own by reselling thrifted finds.

Meagan Cervantes, a Lubbock native, is the owner of West Emerald, an Instagram boutique that resells vintage finds that have come back in style.

“I was really into thrifting all throughout college, and I started picking up really cool vintage pieces, and my family and friends encouraged me to start a business because thrifting and vintage clothes are becoming a trend,” Cervantes said.

After graduating Tech in 2019 with a degree in political science, Cervantes said her original plan was to attend law school. This business started as a side hustle to help pay for it.

“I graduated in December (of 2019) and COVID-19 hit a few months later, so it was hard for me to find a job. That’s when I started my resale

HAYHOE

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 Hayhoe said she accredits her success in the field to the long line of scientists who came before her and believes people have finally started to listen to the climate science field.

Her love of science and the natural world began at a young age, she said.

Her parents were teachers and believed television was bad for children’s brains, Hayhoe said. On Friday nights, her mother would bring movies home from the library for the family to watch. Her favorite movies were of Jane Goodall, the famous primatologist.

“She was this young blonde woman in the middle of Africa working with chimpanzees, and it very inspiring for me as a young girl to see her as an example of who a scientist is,” Hayhoe said.

“She’s still alive today campaigning for conservation, and she continues to be an inspiration to me of who a scientist can be and how they can make a difference in the world.”

Tia LaFavor, an interdisciplinary graduate student, said she has taken two classes with Hayhoe and she is one of her favorite professors. Lafavor said because Hayhoe is such an accomplished individual in her field, her students have plenty of opportunities to learn

business and it ended up working out well for me,” Cervantes said. “Now, I’ve put going to law school on pause because I’m really enjoying this.”

West Emerald is environmentally friendly as the pieces sold come from last-chance stores, Cervantes said.

“Millions and millions of pounds of clothes go to landfills every day, so I really try to find what’s trending and what people would enjoy in these warehouses as a way to give the clothes a second chance, so they don’t end up in the landfill,” Cervantes said.

With 90s street wear becoming a popular trend, there are a lot of hidden gems that have been thrown out just to come back in style, Cervantes said.

“Meagan has an eye for good finds, which is why she’s done so well. It’s not something that anyone could just go to a thrift store and find something and think, ‘Oh yeah, this is vintage,’ you really have to have an eye for it like Meagan,” Yvette Franco, a senior speech language and hearing sciences major and

a long-time friend to Cervantes from Odessa, said.

As West Emerald is run through Instagram, the clothes, jewelry and accessories are sold in an auction-like process. Cervantes said she will post the finds as they come and customers message the account directly to purchase.

Once the item is sold, customers are able to pick it up from Cervantes in Lubbock.

“I find that Instagram is what works best for me.

I’ve tried other methods such as an online site or Facebook, but I’ve found that Instagram is best especially for my target audience, which is young adults,” Cervantes said.

“It’s so much faster for customers to message me and buy something rather than going through the process of a website.”

Cervantes also hosts occasional pop-up shops for customers to shop West Emerald in-person.

“She had her first pop-up shop around this time last year and was really nervous for it because it was the first one,” Franco said. “We didn’t really expect many people to come by, but within the first 30 minutes, there was an

from her experiences and network within the field. “ S h e ’s a n i n c r e d i b l e teacher and wonderful human being,” Lafavor said.

“She’s very energetic and

passionate, and she gives us a lot of different ways to learn content that appeals to different learning styles, which I appreciate.”

Lafavor said she is su-

amazing turnout. Every time she has a pop-up her support just continues to get bigger.”

Cervantes said her even-

I really try to find what’s trending and what people would enjoy MEAGAN CERVANTES TECH 2019 GRADUATE FROM LUBBOCK tual goal is to have a storefront for West Emerald as well as hosting pop-up shops in different major cities in Texas to expand her business.

The best way to keep up with West Emerald and announcements for pop-up shops is through Instagram at @shopwestemerald, Cervantes said.

“I honestly never saw myself as a business owner, it wasn’t ever my intention to really do this, but I have found it so rewarding, and it’s been something I’ve really enjoyed,” Cervantes said.

“West Emerald is growing really quickly as demand for these styles increases.” @MadeleineHallDT

per excited to see Hayhoe in her new role as Chief Scientist of the Nature Conservancy and is excited to see what comes from it.

Photo Courtesy of Meagan Cervantes

Meagan Cervantes, a Tech 2019 graduate from Lubbock, is the owner of West Emerald. Her business sells handpicked vintage clothing items on Instagram.

OPINIONS

Page 4 Thursday, March 25, 2021

COLUMN

@DailyToreador www.dailytoreador.com

Self-defense education needed at Tech T

ech needs to provide regularly scheduled harassment education classes centered around male students to educate them on how to be allies to more victimized students and unlearn certain cultural norms.

I was driving away from my apartment recently when I saw a man walk away from a building on my right. I didn’t pay attention to him at first glance and just thought his pants were sagging scandalously low.

When I drove closer, however, I saw that both his pants and underwear were down. He walked half naked across the street, smiling and holding his pants up with one hand, seemingly without a care in the world.

Needless to say, my jaw was

Toluwani Osibamowo is a junior journalism major from Plano.

on the floor. Once I parked, I texted my roommates in warning and my friends in shock and mild amusement.

As I continued on with my day, though, I became increasingly upset weighing the gravity of the situation and pondering all the possible alternate outcomes.

What if, instead of driving, I was out for a casual walk on a nice afternoon? What if the man was violent?

I felt disgusted and oddly, ashamed. I’m grateful to have access to organizations like RISE on campus that

seek to educate and help students tackle these issues, but where’s the cutesy Instagram infographic that shows me how to cope with random indecent exposure?

When a woman is the victim of these traumatic situations, most people’s first response is to shower her with tips and tricks on how to prepare and defend herself, to find ways to let another unsuspecting woman become the victim in that moment and not her.

Less often do we ask, “Why are (some) men the way they are?” I suppose that’s a more hefty and divisive question, but it’s nonetheless one that needs serious consideration.

In another incident on March 16, a Tech student was touched inappropriately

by a man while walking in her neighborhood. It was near a park I used to frequent and reading this news shocked me.

I do not claim in any way that these situations reflect Tech students in the slightest. But it’s happening all around us.

In my almost two years at Tech, there have been several incidents where female students have been subject to indecency and worse— and those are just the ones that have been reported.

This speaks to a greater issue of rape culture, the contentious idea of patriarchy and how victimizing behaviors have become so normalized.

A lot of people, specifically women, non-binary and transgender individuals, are unaware of how to defend

themselves and how to cope with harassment. We should not shy away from creating spaces for students who are more likely to be victimized.

Less often do we ask, “Why are (some) men the way they are?”

It’s as much about creating a community of support as it is defending yourself as an individual.

We need to continue the dialogue that Tech organizations like RISE have started and educate students about the dangers they may face on and off campus: getting followed, catcalled and more. And men shouldn’t be

left out of the conversation.

Harassment in all its forms is a multifaceted issue that affects all genders in one way or another. Male students can learn a lot from listening to the experiences of their fellow students and learning how to tackle these issues when they occur in their own lives.

In the wake of atrocities, like the March 16 shootings in Atlanta, which according to the alleged suspect and police was a result of his “addiction to sex,” to turn a blind eye to the social systems in place that allow these things to keep happening is a grave disservice to ourselves.

We as a student body must become more outspoken and confront the ugliness we might be complicit in. @TOsibamowoDT

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Support vital for handling mental health Mateo Rosiles is a junior journalism major from Lubbock

Your heart starts to race, you feel like nothing you do is good enough, your mind is racing and spiraling downwards. You start to become disassociated with reality, and your body has a mind of its own.

It’s hard to portray what an anxiety or panic attack is. It’s even harder for those who do not suffer from mental health problems to understand what goes on inside the mind of those who do.

But at least understanding the basics of mental health and what one person goes through may help you now or in the future when

Chase Seabolt

Email dailytoreador@ttu.edu, call (806) 742-3393 or tweet information to @DailyToreador.

The DailyToreador strives for accuracy and fairness in the reporting of news.

If a report is wrong or misleading, a request for a correction or clarification may be made by calling (806) 742-3393 or emailing dailytoreador@ttu.edu.

having someone sit with me while I was going through it was exactly what I needed.

Also, knowing that someone cares made me feel stronger. It made me feel like I can overcome this hurdle and I know someone will be there.

I know the hopeless feeling of not being able to do something when someone is going through one of these types of attacks but know that you are doing more than words or actions can do.

When someone is opening up about their mental health, listen. That is the best thing you can do. Sometimes, I just need to feel like my emotions are valid. I am not trying to have someone solve all my problems or tell me.

I can tell you, never ever tell someone their feelings and what they are going through is invalid. This can

and will do more harm than you will ever know. It can cause someone to shut down completely.

Mental health is slowly becoming destigmatized, but there is so much more we can do and understanding the very basics of what someone is going through can help you know how to help someone.

You start to become disassociated with reality, and your body has a mind of its own.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study entitled “Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation

During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 24–30, 2020” that states around 40 percent of adults face mental health issues ranging from anxiety, depression and suicide.

The likelihood of you using this generic information to help someone is relatively high.

If you do struggle with mental health, know that you are never alone. There are resources on campus, like Student Health, that are more than happy to help guide you through this time.

If you are in a crisis, please call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800273-8255 and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Chat: 800-799-4889.

You will get through this, and you will come out stronger than before. @MateoRosilesDT

DT STAFF PICK ‘EM MARCH MADNESS

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someone you know is fighting the battle of mental health.

I do not assume to speak on behalf of those who do struggle with mental health issues. I can only tell you my story and what it is like to deal with mental health issues. I do struggle with mental health issues, and I have been diagnosed with anxiety and one other thing by professionals.

Anxiety is a phenomenon that I still do not understand. What I described above is part of what an anxiety attack does to me.

Again, mental health issues affect everyone differently and what helps everyone is also different.

I can just say that sometimes just sitting there with them may be the only thing that you can do and all they want you to do, and that is OK. A lot of the time, just

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MEN’S BASKETBALL

Page 5 Thursday, March 25, 2021

Beard recognizes team, Lubbock following season

By BISHOP VAN BUREN Staff Writer

The Texas Tech men’s basketball team’s season has officially come to a close after a second round loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

The Red Raiders finished the season with an 18-11 overall record and a 9-8 record in conference play. They reached their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, but failed to make it the Sweet 16 for the first time in those three years.

Each of Tech’s 11 losses came against teams ranked No. 4 or higher in their NCAA Tournament bracket.

“I’m proud of my players, I wish from a coaching standpoint there was something I could do to just help them,” head coach Chris Beard said following the game against Arkansas. “I love my players. I’m really proud of them, and I thought we had a lot of courage.”

Though this season did not end in a championship, Beard has built a program at Tech that consistently ranks among the top in the country. Beard has won nine NCAA tournament games in his four years coaching the Red Raiders.

In 2019, Beard led Tech to an NCAA Tournament Championship for the first time in school history after winning their first Big 12 Title in school history as well.

Beard was awarded after the 2019 season for the Red Raiders’ March Madness run, agreeing to a six-year extension to stay in Lubbock for around $5 million a year,

making him the third highest paid coach in college basketball at the time.

A strong connection to West Texas funnels to Beard’s players.

“These guys, they made our city so proud,” Beard said. “I love those guys in that locker room.”

Tech’s leading scorer for the 2020-21 season was junior guard Mac McClung, who transferred to Lubbock after two years with the Georgetown Hoyas. In his lone year with the Red Raiders, McClung averaged 15.5 points per game while averaging just over thirty minutes, according to Tech Athletics.

McClung is one of the most aggressive players in driving to the rim, causing him to lead the team in free throws made (107) as well as points.

On the other hand, however, his aggressive play also caused him to lead the team in turnovers, with his 54 being thirteen more than the player responsible for the second most on the roster (Marcus Santos-Silva).

McClung failed to reach the NCAA tournament at Georgetown, and transferred to Lubbock in search of his first March Madness tournament. Before Tech’s first round matchup with Utah State, McClung expressed his thanks for getting his first chance at a NCAA Tournament title.

“I’m just thankful for the opportunity, from the coaching staff and everyone,” he said. “I’ve been imagining this moment for a really long time now so I’m glad it’s here, hopefully all the work and

preparation will pay off.”

McClung averaged 12.5 points in the tournament, and he deferred the playmaking role to junior guard Kyler Edwards, who led Tech in assists on the season with 81 total and 2.8 per game, according to Tech Athletics.

Edwards not only led the team in assists, but also in three pointers made on average (1.9 per game) and total (56), according to ESPN. Edwards also had the highest shooting percentage from three (41.8 percent) among players who attempted more than ten all season.

In the Red Raiders’ second round loss to Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament, Tech’s sophomore guard Terrance Shannon Jr. scored 20 points, good for most on the Red Raiders team and enough to tie Arkansas’ Justin Smith for most in the game.

Shannon was Tech’s runner-up in scoring this year behind McClung, with a total of 360 points this season while averaging 12.9 points

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per game, according to Tech Athletics.

S h a n n o n ’s p l a y h a s earned him a flurry of conference and national awards .

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6

SPORTS

MARCH 25, 2021

MEAT

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 A program that began in 1926 at the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago was coined the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Program, and for 94 years, with the exception of the World War II years between 1942-1945, contests have been held annually.

They began under sponsorship of The National Livestock and Meat Board, but have since been passed to the American Meat Science Association.

The events require a combination of countless hours of dedication, physical and mental strain, but most importantly, meat grading.

The Competition: Three cuts of meat are presented to each competitor within the frozen, walk-in cooler: Beef, pork and lamb.

The contest begins in the morning, with five placing classes. The placing classes involve one beef carcass class, one beef cuts class, one pork carcass class, one pork cuts class and one lamb carcass class.

These include 10 specifications that students are trained to look for in regard to defects in the meat.

These can help determine if the meat is good or bad for having no bones or cartilage, lymph glands or other aspects. There are different calls that the competitors make in regard to their respective cut.

Quality grading rounds out the morning session, and this is when the competitors essentially assess the value of 15 beef carcasses.

This stems from how much intramuscular fat the ribeye has. For the common grocery shopper, this is where meat quality terms such as choice, select, prime and higher quality grades of meat come from.

These conclusions are found from the amount of white seen in the muscle of the meat; the more white, the higher the grading,

from a quality perspective.

But this is just surface level. The meat judgers also have to dive into and analyze the physiological age of the carcass, the learning maturity and numerous things along those lines that require hours of learning, focus and application under pressure.

Afterwards, a lunch break is taken, Mckenzie said. During the break, the team writes reasons on the placing classes to justify their decisions, he said.

The chemistry and the ability to build each of these kids into a family is the main thing.

MARK MILLER HEAD MEAT JUDGING COACH Five more placing classes round out the afternoon along with yield grading.

This includes analysis of the lean-to-fat ratio of the beef carcass: Ribeye size area, preliminary yield grade, hot carcass weight, kidney, pelvic and heart fat. Each of these require adjustments and equations that the team uses to come up with a final yield grade for each analyzed carcass, McKenzie said.

T h e b i g g e s t e m p h asis in terms of quality is placed on the beef carcass, while pork and lamb are placed more in terms of trim and muscling.

As much as six hours can be spent in the cool, meat-filled refrigerator for meat judging competitions.

But like any competition, each competitor has to prepare. And for Tech, practices are the epicenter of their successful program.

Meat judging requires behind-the-scenes practice and countless hours of work before competition.

“The students we have a certainly student-athletes,” McKenzie said. “We expect a lot out of them from a

practice perspective.”

The meat judging practice schedule is like a full-time job mixed with two-a-day workouts.

For Bendele, her Saturdays are spent waking up at 4 a.m., and practicing until around noon or 1 p.m., she said. And it gets even more intense before a big contest.

“We practice a lot for contests. We’ll wake up at, like, 5 a.m. every single day and practice until like six or so,” she said.

“You can’t just be there halfway. You have to be all-in. This is a lifestyle.”

In the fall, the team will have a class Monday, Wednesday and Friday where they practice two hours each day.

And just like other student-athletes, there are financial additions to meat judging participants such as scholarships and tuition aid that are applied.

For out-of-state participants, their fee may be waived if they join Tech’s meat judging team.

There are also awards for victors.

“I just won the last contest and was awarded a $1,000 scholarship for that … There’s a lot of good opportunities and there’s a lot of alumni who donate and stuff,” Bendele said.

But with such a rare lifestyle also comes various travel opportunities for Tech’s meat judging team, and the dynasty does not travel lightly.

In fact, a 10-hour, 650mile drive to Nebraska is commonplace for the team, especially in the spring semester.

“We’ve made a few trips to Nebraska so far this semester, all within COVID-19 guidelines.” McKenzie said.

Their trip to Nebraska saw them win first place, and the team wrapped up its spring semester with a trip to Houston for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest, in which they also won first place.

The victory for Tech cemented a flawless, undefeated spring slate, never

losing a contest.

But as sweet as the victory is, unlike most other sports, a four-year guarantee is the opposite of the norm at Tech. In fact, each meat judging participant is only granted one year of eligibility for contests.

But it is common for former judgers to return to the program in a coaching position, such as McKenzie.

“Undergraduates and graduate students help, you know, do the more day-to-day tasks in terms of organizing practices, booking hotels, logistics, in terms of driving the team, you know, where they need to go.” McKenzie said.

Everyone in the program has a job, but what makes it easier is the family atmosphere the meat judging team has created under coach Miller.

“The chemistry and the ability to build each of these kids into a family is the main thing,” Miller said. “Truly, the thing that matters the most, is the ability of our kids to become a family, to be able to love one another.”

With thousands upon thousands of hours elapsed in a meat judging season, spent with the same person in a cooler or practicing, chemistry is vital.

And Miller’s emphasis on it has trickled down to the team, as they see a family-first atmosphere as well.

“There can be some struggles, but we honestly have the best time together,” Bendele said. “We do everything together even outside of meat judging …

We hang out on the weekend or during the week, you name it. We’re all friends.

Its like a huge family.”

Although not one of the most notorious traditions on Tech’s campus, meat judging is certainly among the winningest.

A culture of companionship has rapidly, and consistently blossomed into a dynasty not only locally, but on a global scale as well.

Meat judging: Tech’s dynasty. @ZachRichardsDT

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FILE PHOTOS/The Daily Toreador

TOP: A Tech Meat Judging Team member explains the process of judging pork in the Gordon W. Davis Meat Laboratory. BOTTOM: Carcasses are hung in one of the meat lockers in the Animal and Food Sciences building in order to help prepare the Meat Judging Team for competition. The Meat Judging Team closed its 2021 season with back-to-back wins in Nebraska and Houston.