all the time?\" No, not really. >> Allison Hirth, Reporting: THERE ARE MANY

MISCONCEPTIONS. >> Ben Mills: I have people ask us if we go

butcher it ourselves. If we start using the knives and cutting

it up. >> Allison Hirth: BUT THERE'S MUCH MORE TO MEAT JUDGING THAN

YOU MIGHT THINK. >> Loni Lucherk, Instructor: It's almost like a

sporting event. >> Allison Hirth: SO WHAT EXACTLY DOES TEXAS

TECH'S MEAT JUDGING TEAM DO? LONI LUCHERK IS A

GRADUATE STUDENT AND COACH WHO USED TO COMPETE. >> Loni Lucherk: Students get

together and we evaluate beef, pork and lamb carcasses, as well as

cuts, for different traits, such as quality and cutability.

>> Allison Hirth: TO ASSESS QUALITY, THE JUDGES LOOK AT MARBLING AND THE

TRAITS THAT IMPACT TASTE. >> Loni Lucherk: They kind of shade the

ribeye to make sure that they're not getting too much

reflection from the light. This one's got quite a bit of marbling. It's

probably about an average choice, so then they would bubble

in their Scantron \"average choice.\" >> Allison Hirth: DURING A CONTEST, THEY'LL

ALSO DO WHAT'S CALLED YIELD GRADING, AMONG OTHER THINGS.

>> Loni Lucherk: And so, they have to estimate the ribeye area in square

inches of how big this ribeye is. They also have to estimate how thick this

fat is so if it's about three-quarters of an inch then that relates to what's

called a preliminary yield grade. >> Allison Hirth: THE TEAM TAKES NOTES, WRITES ESSAYS, THEN

MUST DEFEND ITS DECISIONS. >> Loni Lucherk: They only have about ten

minutes to do five heads so you have to do it pretty quickly.

>> Allison Hirth: THEY COMPETE IN CONTESTS ALL OVER THE

COUNTRY. >> Ben Mills: Of the 17 kids who judge, only four

scores will actually count towards the team's score but those four people don't

know who they are. So, we walk in all expecting to actually compete and

our score to count but only four will actually count. >> Allison Hirth: BEN MILLS IS

A MEMBER. HE'S A JUNIOR (WHO'S) MAJORING IN ANIMAL SCIENCE, AND SAYS GETTING READY

FOR CONTESTS REQUIRES QUITE THE TIME COMMITMENT.

>> Ben Mills: On Fridays, we're practicing anywhere from seven to

nine hours and then on Saturdays, about 12 (hours) typically.

>> Allison Hirth: THERE'S NO TEAM TRYOUT AND ANYONE FROM ANY MAJOR CAN JOIN.

>> Loni Lucherk: In order to meat judge at Texas Tech, you take a

class and kind of learn everything you need to know about

meat judging and then from that class you decide if you

want to be on the meat judging team or not. >> Allison Hirth: THE ONLY REAL REQUIREMENT IS

A WILLINGNESS TO WORK HARD. BUT, LIKE LONI EXPLAINS, IT'S A ONE-AND-DONE DEAL.

>> Loni Lucherk: You have to work really hard that one year if you want to be a

national champion because you only get one shot. >> Allison Hirth: WITH COACH MARK MILLER AT THE

HELM, THE TEAM'S SEEN MUCH SUCCESS. TWELVE NATIONAL

CHAMPIONSHIPS-- 11 OF THOSE IN THE PAST 15 YEARS. BUT THAT

WASN'T ALWAYS THE CASE. >> Mark Miller, Coach: From 1938 to 1982, we had never

won a thing. Our success today is due to many years of alumni and people

who have come through here that have set a standard that says hey, we want

to try to do this. >> Allison Hirth: THE REPUTATION BUILT BY TEXAS TECH'S SUCCESS IS GOOD FOR

RECRUITING TOO. FOR MILLER AND HIS STUDENTS THOUGH, IT'S ABOUT MUCH

MORE THAN WINNING. >> Mark Miller: Meat judging's really irrelevant. It's just

a vehicle that we have to teach really important life skills that

apply to anybody in any occupation wherever you go.

>> Loni Lucherk: Intercollegiate meat judging is all about building that team of friends that

you're going to have forever and traveling all across the United States in a

15-passenger van, going to different processing plants anywhere from

Nebraska to Houston to Iowa, and so it's just a great experience for

students to learn about the meat industry. >> Ben Mills: It's taught me

that team work is key. You're going to be around a lot of people for

a lot of time. You learn how to handle people. You learn how to evaluate

things. You learn how to make decisions. >> Allison Hirth: FOR TEXAS TECH

TODAY, I'M ALLISON HIRTH.