The 2010 GOAL conference was an outstanding event. It was very beneficial to our Junior members to have time to get together where they are able to socialize, learn life skills and gain insights into the industry with minimal parental involvement and without the added pressure of caring for cattle at an event.
The Juniors had the opportunity to tour the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, GenServe Laboratories and the Canadian Light Source. The Board of Directors of the Canadian Angus Association joined the Juniors on Friday evening for dinner as the Board meeting was also held in Saskatoon. The Juniors then went to play on waterslides and enjoy sundaes.
On Saturday, 1998 Olympic gold medallist in women's curling Joan McKusker, gave the keynote speech titled "Ordinary People do Extraordinary Things". The day wound up at Champetre County, a small French community east of Saskatoon, where the Juniors had to find their way out of a maze, enjoyed sleigh rides, supper, entertainment from a five-time Australian bull whip champion and square dancing lessons.
Sunday our very own Kajal Devani gave a presentation to help Juniors understand population genetics and management of genetic defects. Many came prepared with questions. We learned that candy is a great motivator to encourage participation!
It was great to see the Juniors form new friendships and achieve a sense of camaraderie. We really appreciate being invited to join in the weekend activities. We really enjoyed ourselves and learned a lot.
Posted by Michael Latimer & Kajal Devani
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