She’s never milked a cow, but a Grantsville High School senior was selected last week to be a state dairy ambassador for Utah.
It was chocolate milk and cheerleading that got Sadie Bird interested in dairy and nutrition.
“I’ve been a cheerleader for four years now,” she said. “This summer, after our two-a-day practices, our coach gave us chocolate milk for a recovery drink. Wondering why we didn’t get something like Gatorade, I did some research.”
Bird’s research led her to discover that chocolate milk is a good recovery drink for athletes.
“Chocolate milk is the best recovery drink out there and even enhances your performance as an athlete,” she said. “It tastes wonderful and it has the perfect amount of nutrients and the most benefits for muscle recovery. It replaces the electrolytes lost through sweat, while also providing calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium, along with fluids to help you rehydrate.”
With her newfound enthusiasm for milk, Bird entered the Tooele County Dairy Princess contest. In May 2015 she was named the Tooele County Dairy Princess.
On Jan. 9, 2016 Bird appeared before a panel of three judges as she competed for a state dairy ambassador position.
“The judges asked me personal questions and questions to test my knowledge of dairy and nutrition,” she said.
At end of the interviews, Bird was named a Utah Dairy Ambassador for 2016. Her platform, based on her chocolate milk research, is “Think before you drink.”
She told the judges that as a state dairy ambassador she would encourage people to reach for chocolate milk after a workout instead of a soda, or other beverages.
“Soda has triple the amount of sugar than fat free milk,” Bird said. “And soda does not provide any vitamins, protein, or calcium, yet still has nearly double the calories. Think before you drink and make the wise decision of choosing milk!”
State dairy ambassadors must not only have strong knowledge of dairy and nutrition, they also need good communication skills, leadership ability, and have a positive image, according to the dairy council’s application instructions.
Bird has been the chapter president of her school’s Health Occupations Students of America organization. She is vice president of the Tooele/Salt Lake HOSA.
A member of the National Honor Society, Bird is also a QPR trained suicide prevention gatekeeper.
She received her certified nursing assistant certification last spring and plans on attending Weber State University to study nursing.
As the county’s dairy princess, Bird received a $1,000 scholarship. As a state dairy ambassador, she received a $2,000 scholarship.
State dairy ambassadors travel the state, attending public events like the Utah State Fair and Herriman Farm Field Days, promoting dairy and nutrition.
The state dairy ambassador for Utah is a program of the Dairy Council of Utah & Nevada.
Bird is one of two Utah Dairy Ambassadors. The other ambassador is Megan McMillan of Morgan County.