For members of the ISU Block and Bridle Club, hard work has turned into national awards and recognition.

The club received first place in chapter activities and first place in yearbook at the 82nd Annual National Block and Bridle Convention held Nov. 9 to 11 in Louisville, Ky.

“We were eligible for three out of five awards, and won two,” said club member Graham Dee, junior in agricultural systems technology. “It’s a pretty high honor to get first place in two out of three awards that are ranked nationally.”

Tim Keegan, president of the club, said this year is the best the club has ever done.

“We won first place for activities and first place for yearbook,” said Keegan, senior in animal science. “The yearbook is judged on pictures and whether it’s a colored edition or not.”

The yearbook is a summary of the year’s activities and events put into a book, Dee said. The club won the activities award for having a large number and variety of activities, he said.

The club really takes pride in its work, Dee said.

“We do everything from livestock shows to sales to informative events,” he said. “In all, we do 35 activities every year.”

Keegan said the activities the club does are a big part of it.

“We mainly put on livestock shows and sales, along with different activities to promote the animal science industry,” he said. “A lot of the shows and sales we put on are for youth throughout the state, such as livestock-judging contests for 4-H and a collegiate judging for animals and meats.”

There are about 220 members in the club this year, and about 150 new initiates were brought in this October, Dee said. There are no certain credentials a student must meet to join the club, he said.

“It’s not too tough to join, and we get a lot of great people,” Dee said. “What I really like about the club is that it’s extremely diverse. Even though there are lots of members, everyone takes it in their own direction and does their own thing while still being part of the larger group.”