AMES, Iowa--Woodbury County 4-H’er Tony Ullrich put together an investigative report on cage fighting for a 4-H project and entered it in his county fair. His exhibit earned him a berth at the Iowa State Fair and an onstage appearance with WHO Channel 13 television news anchor Erin Kiernan.
Kiernan had volunteered to participate in a Celebrity Showcase event Aug.16 put on by Iowa State University Extension 4-H Youth Development. The showcase allows high profile professionals to showcase 4-H youth and their project work on stage in the 4-H Exhibits Building at the fair.
Ullrich is a 2006 graduate of Westwood High School in Sloan, Iowa, and the son of Tom and Roxie Ullrich. As director of his school’s Channel 3 Action News, he researched and produced his investigative report.
Kiernan, who has earned awards as an investigative broadcast journalist, asked Ullrich what he learned while pursuing his story.
Ullrich told the audience that cage fighting goes by other names such as ultimate fighting, old-fashioned street fighting and mixed martial arts. The sport is popping up around the Midwest, and fights take place inside a cage. He also said the sport has the potential to be violent and bloody; participants may end up in an emergency room with broken ribs, noses or concussions. But, there are rules as well.
Fighters are not permitted to eye gouge, drink alcohol before a match or fish hook an opponent's mouth. Head butts, hair pulling and kicking an opponent who is on the ground also are unacceptable.
After researching the story, Ullrich chose to report on a cage fight at Lewis Bowl in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. The management team, however, denied him access, stating that coverage had been mostly negative in the Midwest, and they did not want that kind of publicity.
“I persevered and fully explained my purpose before finally gaining admittance,” Ullrich said. “I have not exploited this story and have used it in educational endeavors.”
Once inside, Ullrich also interviewed referees and fighters, which gave him insight into the value of connecting personally with people when in pursuit of a story or a career.
Besides being a nine-year member of the Triple “S” Hawkeyes 4-H Club in Woodbury County, Ullrich is a member of the Boy Scouts of America and plans to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City in the fall of 2006 where he will study journalism and mass communication. “I am excited about a future in television broadcasting,” he said.
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