The veterinary technician team has advanced to the State competition that will be held on April 30 in College Station.

“I am so very proud of the hard work and determination each student has put forth to make going to state possible,” veterinary technician sponsor Sarah Trammell said. “They have definitely exceeded my expectations and I am so excited that they have this opportunity.”

Members of the team are seniors Celeste Miller and Cheyenne Ward and juniors Megan Clark and Adam Feltman. Feltman said he joined the vet tech program to learn more about the field and enjoys getting to make great memories.

“It was a wonderful feeling knowing that my team and I did well in our competitions,” Feltman said.

Trammell said while the team had struggles at first, they greatly improved throughout the year.

“After the first competition the team knew what to look forward to,” Trammell said. “After that, the team was scoring around the middle of the pack, but continuously improving their scores along the way.”

At a competition the team is split into separate groups where they move from station to station. Each station will have either actual instruments, parasites, organs, or breeds, or pictures used to represent those items.

“Each group will take a 50-question test as well as a demonstration of how to correctly handle an animal,” Trammell said.

Trammell said the purpose of the veterinary technician training program is to make students fully capable of graduating with the certification to be acceptable assistants for veterinarians. The team prepares for success in their competitions in many ways.

“Practice is every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4-5 p.m., sometimes during class and while on the road traveling to each competition,” Trammell said. “They use flashcards to identify breeds, instruments, parasites and organs, YouTube videos and a packet with over 300 questions.”

Trammell, who just started teaching at LCM this year, said she hopes for the best at the State competition.

“With this being my first year I am just so excited to be able to lead my team to such a competition,” Trammell said. “No matter how they place, I am very proud of them.”