We’ve rounded up 30 action-packed activities from 13 different categories to help committees prepare an entertaining AYFC competition that will get the blood pumping and the crowd roaring:
WOOL
1. Run, wool bale, run
Each team rolls a wool bale off a ute to a nominated location and runs to the next challenge 🏃♀️🏃♂️
Equipment: Four utes
Difficulty: 🐑🐑
2. Skirting a fleece
Each team is to throw and remove a spray-painted “skirt” from a fleece 🐑🖌️
Equipment: One fleece per team, a can of spray paint and a table
Difficulty: 🐑🐑
FIRST AID
3. Break a leg
How well can you apply a splint when the clock’s ticking? In this challenge, one team member ups the ante on their acting skills and feigns an injured leg, while the other teammates fit a splint and move the injured person a short distance 🩼🧑⚕️
Equipment: Bandage and splint per team
Difficulty: 🐑🐑
4. Treat and transport
What’ll it be today? A broken arm? Snake bite? Whatever your nominated injury, participants must correctly treat their team member and safely transport the poor victim to the next challenge 🤕🐍🚑
Equipment: One stretcher and first aid kit per team
Difficulty: 🐑🐑
DAIRY
5. How’s your milking technique?
Each team fills a bucket from a cow silhouette by milking it 🐄🥛🪣
Equipment: One dairy cow simulator and bucket per team
Difficulty: 🐑
6. There’s (a big) use crying over spilt milk
Teams must fill a number of clear milk bottles with milk (or water) 🐄🥛
Equipment: Milk bottles
Difficulty: 🐑
HORTICULTURE
7. Unearth potato gems
Teams must dig up potatoes and toss them into a potato sack held open by a team member a short distance away 🥔⛏️
Equipment: Potato sacks and six potatoes
Difficulty: 🐑
8. Fruit packing time
Two team members run to a stage where there will be a pile of fruit and a packing box. Two team members catch and pack the fruit into the box. If any fruit is broken, it must be replaced by another piece 🥑🍎🍐🍈
Equipment: One fruit box per team and any fruit available
Difficulty: 🐑
9. Pumpkin bowling
Standing behind a line, each team is to bowl a pumpkin at a target 🎃🎳
Equipment: One pumpkin and target (eg. box or stack of tins) per team
Difficulty: 🐑
WINTER IS COMING
10. Split it
Team members take turns splitting wood. Four pieces of wood are to be cut by each team 🪓🪵
Equipment: Pile of wood
Difficulty: 🐑🐑
11. Stack it
Teams move wooden logs from one stack a short distance (10-25 metres), and restack the wood 🪵🪵🏃
Equipment: Pile of wood
Difficulty: 🐑
LIVE ANIMALS
12. How old’s the goat?
Judging by its teeth, one team member lets the judge know what they think the goat’s age is 🐐🦷
Equipment: Goats and pen
Difficulty: 🐑🐑🐑🐑
13. After you, alpaca
The first team member puts a halter on the alpaca and leads it around a course, with help from the second team member 🦙
Equipment: 16 markers/witches hats and four alpacas
Difficulty: 🐑🐑🐑
POULTRY
14. [Do] place all your eggs in one basket
One person runs to the eggs that are positioned on the haystack. The runner then places six eggs in their basket and runs to an egg carton positioned at the starting line. There must be six eggs before the team continues. If one is broken, then the team will need to collect another 🐔 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🧺
Equipment: 12 x eggs, one basket and table per team, and one half dozen egg carton
Difficulty: 🐑
GENERAL SKILLS
15. Load up, the trolley obstacle race is here
One team member stands on the two wheeled trolley whilst the second team member pushes the two wheeled trolley around the obstacle course as quickly as possible. If you fall off, it’s back to the starting line for your team 🚦
Equipment: One x two wheeled trolley and obstacle course (cones or similar markers) per team
Difficulty: 🐑🐑
16. Pipe fitting
A piece of poly pipe 40cm long will be required to be cut through, allowing the fitting of a joiner to be put into place. One team member holds the pipe whilst the second member cuts it and installs the joiner 🪚
Equipment: One hacksaw, 2-5 joiners and lengths of pipe per team
Difficulty: 🐑🐑🐑
17. Rise and roll
One team member starts off “asleep” in swag – but not for long. When the bell rings, it’s time to jump up, put your shows on and roll your swag in speedy style 😴🏃
Equipment: One swag per team
Difficulty: 🐑
18. Tack the horse
Each team is to put the tack on the horse statue 🐴🐎
Equipment: Horse statue (fiberglass eg. Horseland) and tack
Difficulty: 🐑🐑🐑
19. Oh baby, guess the gestation
Teams must match the animal with the correct gestation period 🤰
Equipment: Set of cards with the following animal names: cow, sheep, horse, chicken and dog; Set of cards with the following gestation periods: 274 days, 152 days, 340 days, 21 days and 63 days
Difficulty level: 🐑
FIRE
20. Put them on, line them up
A pair of CFA pants and an overcoat must be put on correctly, along with gloves and eyewear. The team member then grabs the extinguisher and knocks off the five individually positioned cans from the railing from five metres away 🧯🧑🚒
Equipment: Four wooden planks or tables and six full fire extinguishers (two spare). You will need to have access to water to refill 20 empty drinking cans
Difficulty: 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑
21. Where there’s smoke, there’s a challenge
A team member puts on a pair of RFS pants and overcoat, along with gloves and eyewear. The team member then puts on a pump and uses a fire hose to extinguish a small fire 🧯🧯
Equipment: One RFS uniform and safety gear per team, and one water pump per team. Access to water is required.
Difficulty: 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑
WATER
22. Puzzle with a difference
Puzzles are made using hydraulic hoses for all members to work as a team to put together or take apart 🧩
Equipment: Hoses for each team
Difficulty: 🐑
23. Transfer water
The team is to bail water from a trough to the empty bucket using a jug, passing the jug from the trough to the bucket via each team member 🚰🪣
Equipment: 1 x water trough, 1 x jug, 1 x bucket per team
Difficulty: 🐑
FENCING
24. Is it on? Setting up a portable electric fence
The first team member pushes in six white tread ins and rolls out the reel of wire. The second team member helps roll out the wire and install it while the other two put the strainer posts in at each end ⚡⚡
Equipment: One portable fencing reel with 30 metres of poly wire rolled on per team; 40 tread in fence droppers per team
Difficulty: 🐑🐑🐑
25. Put up a fence
Construct a fence, straight or square 📏
Equipment: Steel picket fence posts, post-drive, wire, and strainer posts
Difficulty: 🐑
MEAT
26. Know your meat cuts
Teams are to draw the different meat cuts onto the cow silhouettes. The list will be provided 🍖🥩🐄
Equipment: Four cow carcass silhouettes
Difficulty: 🐑