Massanutten Federation Leadership Workshop

On Tuesday, September 27 I was reminded how awesome this opportunity to serve the Virginia FFA is, how amazing FFA members are, and how blessed I am. This Tuesday I got the chance to go to the Massanutten Federation Leadership Workshop and man did I have a good time! It was great seeing so many familiar faces, from students from my home chapter to friends that I have made from this year and years past. 

It was so exciting to see so many students at the leadership workshop; there to learn about different positions they can hold in the FFA such as president or reporter and learn about CDE’s they can compete in. It was also great to see members stepping outside of their comfort zone and interviewing for federation officer positions. Members were so excited to see friends from other schools and to learn leadership skills that they would take back to their chapters. One member in particular inspired me though. He was a 6^th grader just starting out in the FFA with so much energy and spunk. He was ready to learn and excited about his time at the workshop. I was so encouraged to see someone so new to the FFA so involved already. We got to talk about CDE’s that he might be interested in throughout the year. It was so exciting being able to share about the opportunities that FFA provides to a bunch of middle school FFA members in a workshop that Brian, Tori and I conducted. When we shared about the chance that some national proficiency award finalists have to travel outside of the country those middle school members were in awe. Another individual who really encouraged me was a young lady with such a big heart for service. Whether helping set up food, cleaning up, or being there for the younger members, she was always there to lend a hand with a smile on her face. I saw what FFA truly means through the actions of the members there that day.

September 27^th was a great reminder of how special FFA is to so many members and myself. The FFA has given me the opportunity to meet so many incredible members, travel to some awesome places and do things I never imagined I would get the chance to do. FFA has changed my life!

FALL in Love with the 2011 Fall Appalachian Area Leadership Conference!

Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and when fall time starts to near, I am always reminded of a few things that I just absolutely love: leaves changing, hunting season, and the Appalachian Area Leadership Conference. On Tuesday, September 27, 2011, we had the annual Conference for our area at the Southwest Virginia Community College. I can remember as a FFA member looking forward to this conference for the entire year, as it was one of my favorite parts of being a chapter officer. I don’t know exactly what it was that made me love this conference so much, it could have been getting to know people and making friends from all around, or learning about skills of being an officer that I could take back to my chapter, or the enthusiasm and passion that the advisors had for us kids; but I’m pretty sure it was a combination of all of them!

Last year I had the honor of serving as an Appalachian Area Officer, and all I can say is it was an absolutely amazing year. I could not have been blessed with a more amazing team to work with (aside from my team this year!) and travel with all over the area and even further educating others and learning ourselves about agriculture. Our highlight of the year was planning and being in charge of the App. Area Conference. I knew by the end of that year that I wanted to be a state officer, because if being a state officer was even equally as good as that year I had just had with those App Area officers, I couldn’t pass up being a state officer!

One Great Big E Memory

Having never attended the Big E conference in Springfield Massachusetts, I boarded the charter bus not sure of what to expect. I knew I would be in for a long ride up 81, but I never expected that I would have such an amazing time so far away from home!

Playing Ninja on the bus!

The 13-hour bus ride that I had been dreading soon turned out to be an amazing experience that I didn’t see coming! Who would have thought that a game of Ninja could be played on a bus? Thanks to the Randolph-Henry and Floyd County Chapter members, I was able to witness it firsthand as we played over seats and through the aisle. Adding to our experience, the bus drove directly under a double rainbow! We were convinced that it was a sure sign of success for our Association in our events the coming days!

The double-rainbow that our bus passed under!

We stepped off the bus in Massachusetts ready for a good night’s sleep! After searching the entire WRONG wing of the hotel for our room, we finally were able to get settled for the night. Bright and early the next morning, I caught the bus to the Sheraton for the Job Interview CDE. Having the opportunity to be on the other side of a Career Development Event by helping with the contest was definitely a unique experience! So much work goes on behind the scenes to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

Nina, Myself, and Tori eating at 99!

After a day of helping with CDEs, we were able to eat supper at 99, a sister restaurant of O’ Charley’s.  We had a blast reading many of the 99 reasons to visit the restaurant that were posted all over the walls. 3 hours and tons of laughs later, we headed back to the hotel, but not before a stop at Friendly’s for some ice cream before bed.

The next day brought some very cool weather and more CDE’s. I had the opportunity to help time the Tractor Operator’s CDE and watch contestants safely execute the course as quickly as possible. After our CDE’s finished up, we were able to enjoy the fair for the rest of the day. Trying all of the mouthwatering fair food, and passing through each of the State Buildings named for the New England states was an experience we’ll never forget!

National FFA Eastern Region Vice President Tiffany Rogers speaks

As the afternoon wound to a close, we headed back to the Sheraton for the long-awaited awards banquet. It may have been the rainbow, or probably the countless hours that each team spent in preparation, but I was so proud to sit at the head table during the banquet as so many Virginia FFA members’ names were called! Virginia came out well in so many of the contests! The banquet was such an amazing experience, especially having heard from our representative on the National Officer Team, Tiffany Rogers, Eastern Region Vice President.

The Virginia Delegation following the awards banquet!

 

After what seemed like forever tying to coordinate all of the Virginia FFA members to take a group picture, we all headed back to the hotel feeling absolutely amazing to say we’re from the Commonwealth of Virginia! Our members were so excited that some even jumped into the hotel swimming pool in their official dress (minus the jacket, of course)!

Catching a nap on the bus!

We may never know what time FFA members go to bed on the last night of a trip, but I’m sure that 5:00 the next morning came early for everyone to pack up the bus and head back south to the places we call home. I’m pleased to say that the trip back home was every bit as enjoyable as the first, although its duration was sprinkled with naps after such an action-packed weekend!

After travelling over 13,000 miles and spending 4 days with such amazing FFA members, I couldn’t be more proud to represent the 11,000 FFA members that have Virginia written across the back of their jackets. Virginia FFA, thank you for helping me Ignite the Power of amazing experiences by providing me with One Big E Memory I will never forget.

Big E Internship

As a high school FFA member I was always a huge fan of the road trips to State convention, Virginia Tech, National convention, state fair and wherever else the blue jacket could take me. But perhaps, one of the most memorable trips of my last year as a high school FFA member was to the Big E! The Big E is a weekend filled with awesome contests, hundreds of FFA members and amazing fair food. As a member I loved competing in contests, meeting so many people, and having a blast with my chapter and state. However, this trip was a bit different. This year I had the opportunity to serve as a presidential intern for the FFA events and contests that went on throughout the weekend. It all started with a very nice plane ride from Washington D.C. to Hartford Connecticut where I was met by some of the other interns that I would be working with over the next couple of days. We settled in in our rooms in the hotel and got some rest for the next day.

The next morning was an early one that started by getting settled into the office that we would be working out of for the weekend. We jumped right into business as we started preparing all of the notebooks that would be used by the superintendents of the career development events. For me, as well as the other three interns this was a side of the Big E that we had never seen before. We started to appreciate all of the work that goes into running an event like this and the time that is put in by countless individuals to make everything run smoothly. We continued through the next couple of hours to prepare stuff for the weekend and had an opportunity to take a grand tour of the fairgrounds.

The next day was when it all began. This was when all of the FFA members were sporting their blue jackets all over the fairgrounds, competing in contests, interviewing for star awards, and having a blast. As the day went on we helped by answering questions, preparing for CDEs, and doing other little things when necessary. We also had the opportunity to meet the National Eastern Region Vice President, Tiffany Rogers. I also had the chance to visit one of the most interesting aspects of the Big E; the state buildings. These buildings each represent one of the six New England states and inside have products from that state. It was awesome to see the interesting foods and products that were available.

The final day of the Big E was the time for the remainder of the contests and the awards banquet. The day was pretty busy as we prepared all the awards and helped to make sure all the scores were in for each and every contest that went on during the weekend. The day was concluded with an awards banquet that celebrated the achievements and accomplishments of FFA members over the three day weekend. FFA members represented Virginia very well with several winning teams.

All in all the weekend was a great one that taught me many different things. I gained a new appreciation for events like this and realized that a lot of hard work goes into each and everything we do. I also learned that FFA members from Virginia are very competitive and will always represent their state and chapter very well. I found out that Maine has some pretty amazing baked potatoes, that Connecticut is very proud of the fact that they make and sell chocolate covered bacon, and that pretty much any food you can think of, can be fried and sold at the fair. I took a lot away from the weekend and was so glad that I was able to participate in this extraordinary opportunity and be a part of such an amazing trip!

The Big E!

The Big E, held in Springfield, Massachusetts is a great place for teams to get in practice either before National Convention or to prepare for CDE competition next year. Each year Virginia sends their state runner –up teams to compete and get some helpful insight that will prepare them for the next state competition and a possible shot for the national competition. This year thirteen teams and individuals from Virginia FFA competed in everything from Farm Business Management to Area Stars. Eight teams placed in the top three, five of which placed first in their competition!

Everyone in the back of the bus!

 The trip started with a thirteen hour bus ride on the Thursday before the event. Everyone made it to the hotel late that evening, and headed to their rooms for some rest before an action packed weekend. The competitions were spread over Friday and Saturday and kept everyone pretty busy. Even though competitions were a big part of the trip, not one person can say it was all work and no play. During their breaks, members had the opportunity to explore the fair. During the fair each state was able to display their flags during the parade, and State Reporter Katie Lukens had the honor of carrying the flag for Virginia.

After the awards banquet on Saturday

Saturday evening everyone got dressed up for the awards banquet that was filled with fun and fellowship. The meal was delicious and there was tons of laughing. After the meal we heard remarks from Tiffany Rogers, National Eastern Region Vice President, and the tension began to build as everyone anxiously waited for the results of their competition. With each result cheers would erupt from the states supporting their respective teams. After the banquet, pictures were taken and everyone went back to the hotel and prepared to leave early the next morning for the long haul back to Virginia.