Annual National FFA Convention

by Meredith Penczek

A few weeks ago the Paris FFA Chapter took eleven members to Indianapolis for the 82nd Annual National FFA Convention. Among the attending students were seniors: Mitch Stone, Logan Hale, Kacey Hamilton, and Alexis Barnes, sophomores: Kelsey Fuqua, Will Ormiston, Jeffery Robinson, Kayla Hoffman, and Sarah Kenderdine, and freshmen: Elliott Kauffman and Meredith Penczek. Over 40,000 FFA members were present at the Convention. Members came from all the fifty states as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The theme of this year’s convention was Infinite Potential. During the first session, members listened to motivational speaker, Josh Shipp, who gave them a unique insight about how to take on the challenges that the world presents you … and a goat. When asked what he thought about the speaker, senior Logan Hale answered, “I hadn’t heard about him before so I wasn’t expecting anything too exciting, but he was actually pretty funny and was definitely different.”

On the first night at the convention, all the members gathered at the Lucas Oil Stadium to listen to Easton Corbin and Lady Antebellum play. The concert was closed to only FFA members and their chaperones. On the second day of sessions, members were able to walk around the convention center and look at the different stands that were set up. There were stands from organizations and companies like Ford, U.S. Army, GAC, Cornfed, and AKC (American Kennel Club). The Paris members were able to listen to Brett Eldridge play at the GAC stand and get pictures and autographs from Brett. The Foundation paid for one meal of the Chapter’s, and they chose Buca De Beppo.

“There was a meatball bigger than a baseball… and Logan ate a whole one after two plates of Alfredo,” joked Elliott Kauffman.

The second night was spent at the rodeo. Members were able to watch bareback and saddle horse rodeo as well as bareback cattle. The third day was spent walking around the hall listening to the Creed recital finals and Parliamentary Procedure finals (both are contests through FFA).

At the end, all the members were sad to leave, but ready to go home. They all met new people and made memories that will last forever.