State Leadership Conference for Chapter Leaders 2009!

*I am having some format issues, so bear with me *

For the final time this summer, FFA members from across the state gathered for a State level leadership conference. This one being: SLCCL, The Amazing Race Destination: Leadership!

As I left off my last blog, leaving the Twin Cities with Kirsten, I noted how I will never forget it.

This being because we spent over 2 hours in traffic leaving the Metro area, and within that amount of time, we traveled less than 8 miles! >:( (that is my angry face) To say the least, I was frustrated as well as the other drivers on the highway. Kirsten and I decided, after a mild disagreement, that we would leave that main highway and take a completely alternate route, adding an extra 90 miles to our trip, but we made it... 3 hours later than we expected = 7:40 pm

Phillip left the cities the exact same time as us and got to Deep Portage at 4:30. We love Phil!

Nonetheless, SLCCL was equal to, if not more fun than SGLC as over 140 FFA members came to Deep Portage Conservation Reserve with the intent of learning, having fun, meeting new people and re-establishing old friendships!

As I highlight a number of the members I met, I will also give insight as to what we did this week! Before I do that I need to give a shout out to some of my friends including:

Shantel, Emily, Molly, Cassy, Cheyenne, Wade, Jason, Jessica, Andy and Michaela ! These are da few, da proud, DA-FEET! Yes, this was, and is my small group. My fellow toes, and myself (Alpha Toe), had an awesome time getting to know each other! We took our skillz, (of course after properly being initiated into Da-Feet Family), to the v-ball court against the Carrier Pigeons. As much as we stomped, stepped on and squished those invasive pigeons, we fell short in an EPIC loss of 25-23. We were De-feated. :( The best game I ever played. Da-Feet also took their skillz to the Talent Show and shook the competition with our incredible STOMP- thanks to the creativity of Molly.

Also, a shout out goes to my roomies for the week:
Kelly, Chad, Sam, Doug, Luke and David ! Represent-> Room 504/201 !These guys were a lot of fun to get to know, hang out with and chat with even if it was 3:00 in the morning. The not so fun part, I must say, was the toilet overflowing on the last day... yeah...

NOW... here we go:

Jason from St.Charles... is one dedicated fisherman, and would do anything to retrieve his Snoopy bobber. Jason also served on the Banquet committee officer team as President, and gave the best Kirby Schmidt impression I have ever seen. He is a part of the state winning Fish and Wildlife team that will compete at Nationals this Fall! Good luck!

Liz from Martin County West ... is a fellow Region VI-er! Liz is serving as the 2009-2010 Region VI Secretary, and in her free time she is awesome and busy making hemp bracelets. (I got one)

Brett from New Ulm... reminds me a lot of myself. (I don't think that is bad) He has got ridiculous skillz on the dance floor, can spit out a beat on a dime, can eat a lot of watermelon and is just fun to be around. Brett plans to work in sports medicine, ideally for professional athletes. One word Brett = SHOES SHOES SHOES. (had to be there)

Kelsey from Owatonna ... is irreplaceable in character. There is never a dull moment when being around her. If at camp, you would most likely find her carrying around a pirates sword or kidnapping Emily Achen's clothing.

Mike from P.E.M ... know more about dairy production than I think I will ever know.Yes, Mike is a proud dairy farmer, and Region VIII officer, and to be specific, an organic producer. In the future, he wants to run his own dairy and expand his knowledge of dairy genetic improvement. AWESOME.

Alex from Forest Lake ... did an awesome job in the talent show, performing the same routine from State Convention. It was easy to agree, she was even better this time. Alex can be easily associated with Kelsey's pursuit to make Emily sing in front of everyone at SLCCL!

Blake from Detroit Lakes ... is an avid hockey player. If he is not on the ice, he is probably plunging his feet into ice as he set a record in the Toe Golf game. Not only that, but Blake and the infamous Carrier Pigeons set a SLCCL record for 20 consecutive jumps in the teamwork jump rope challenge. As seen in the picture to the right, Blake along with Brett, Eric and Greg also revived the "Jump on It" dance as seen on the Fresh Prince.

Doreen from Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted ... was not afraid to share her stories of her crazy advisor, Winnie. Doreen has been quite the traveler this past summer after flying, (in a plane, not with her arms) , to Washington DC for the Washington Leadership Conference! What an awesome experience.

Quincy from Minnewaska ... has A LOT of horses! Quincy shared with me some of his experiences including Stuebenville North (a Catholic youth conference) and Red, White & You! (sponsored by the Minnesota Farm Bureau). Quincy has one of the few, and bold to go swimming on the lake even though it was probably only 40 degrees. It was freeeeezing! Good thing, we Minnesotans can take the cold.

Kelly from Morris ... has got guts. Yep, she also joined the crew who went to the freezing depths of the lake. Thanks to Quinne and her encouragement, I went as well. Not to mention, Kelly played the most extreme game of red-rover. I'm surprised she is still in one piece after getting clothes-lined several times. She also taught me a new word to rhyme with 'powa' (power) ... it is "AGOWA" ( ah-gow-wah)hmmm... might have to look that one up.

Steve from Southland ... can do the best impression of Chelsea Berndt. He cracks me up, as well as two other SLCCL-ers, (I won't name them) but they are easily recognized by their laugh. Steve is currently serving Region VIII as an officer, was on the SLCCL Banquet committee and served as his chapter president. He has put in a lot of time helping build a Southland FFA Alumni Chapter. INCREDIBLE.

Rachel from Sauk Centre ... is the most random/funny/cool people I know. She sent me a Happy-gram which read, "If I were a Poke'mon master, I would choose you." (how did she know I love Poke'mon?) Rachel also put in a lot of time before camp helping set up and create decorations. Thank YOU! I am also proud to say that I got to be apart of the Invasive species removal team with Rachel, Bailey, Tanner, Shantel, Cheyenne, Katie, Raina and Sam just to name a few. We kicked butt on over 850 pounds of Canada thistle, Spotted Knapweed, Bull thistle and Common Rag weed.

Ryan from Staples-Motley ... is a true musician. He can play just about any string instrument you know, including the mandolin. Ryan performed in 2 groups at the talent show, one he accompanied and the other he played a solo. Both were great! He was also in the service project team of weed removal, and we ate some wild raspberries and strawberries. Shhh! (we weren't supposed to.)

Here, Da-Feet took on the Submarines in a team Saran-Wrap race! (left) I'm not sure who won, but it can be easily assumed: Da-Feet.

Have you ever had an awkward hand-shake? Well, Raina and Jason did a great job(left) demonstrating the variety of awkward hand-shakes you can have including: Dead Fish and the Lumberjack.

The Springfield FFA Chapter !

The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter!

For the first time in HISTORY, the guys "lost" to the girls in the watermelon eating contest. Seriously, the guys never lose. We discovered in the end, Amber, the official judge, saw that the guys won, but felt bad for the girls. I also heard rumors of the girls hiring a bear to scare Amber into believing the girls won.

That's ok. They may have won the battle, but we still win the war.

A GREAT picture to end the Amazing week we had!

*A big thank you to the Deep Portage Conservation Reserve for helping MN FFA hold summer conferences for over 20 years!

* Thank you to our SLCCL sponsors: Alliance Pipeline, Ford, CHS and the Minnesota Soybean Growers! The shirts are great!!

SLCCL-ers -- What did you think about the week ? POST-IT! Let me know what your chapter is doing this summer and throughout the year so I can visit!

State Greenhand Leadership Conference 2009!

What: State Greenhand Leadership Conference

Where: Deep Portage, near Hackensack, MN

When: June 22-26

Who: over 147 MN FFA members ! (and numerous guests)

This was one incredible week! Members, primarily sophomores, represented the chapters all across the state. From Alden-Conger to Zumbrota-Mazeppa, over 147 members came! For many, this was their very first state ffa event, and for some their first FFA event. I had the fun of sharing the first-time-experience with all campers because I had never attended SGLC when I was in FFA because I wasn't in it! SGLC was definately a week full of firsts for me as you will read. I am glad I got to share it with this group.

As the week began, I was a little skeptical on the weather raining in on our traditional volleyball tournament. Without fail, it did rain. A LOT! Thankfully, the sun was quick to forgive the rain because it was hot, humid and clear enough to go canoeing, swimming, hiking up the tower and play sand volleyball (all of which I did !)

I did not bring my fishing pole, just to save some for those who wanted to catch some. ;) Swimming at Deep Portage is a top priority for me, so Emily and I joined Donnie from Staples in the cool water. BUT, I forgot my sandals, which is required to swim in the lake! Springfield native, Zach was awesome enough to let me wear his, and so Emily, Donnie and myself took an afternoon dip.

Before coming to SGLC, I had never gone canoeing either. So Marten and Douglas from New London-Spicer, Alex from Long Prairie-Grey Eagle and Kyle from the Martin County West FFA Chapters took me out on the water. I learned,

A. There is a front and a back to a canoe (It always just looked the same to me.)

B. There is no seat in the middle so you get very wet from the water on the bottom.

C. Dont try to lean over and catch fish
D. DO NOT TRY TO STAND UP AND TURN AROUND, AFTER ALL , YOU ARE IN A FLIMSY, HOLLOW PIECE OF PLASTIC IN WATER.

Canoeing was fun!
If I wasn't make a fool of my self on the water, I was probably eating sand on the volleyball court or flailing in the air at the rock wall.

Firstly, to clear the air on the "flailing", I was climbing the toughest wall blindfolded, and obviously if you are blidfolded, you can't see when you lose grip of the wall and you are now suspended by a rope in mid air searching for a hand hold or the wall! So for those of you who happened to appear during my triumphant moment, that's why... AND I made it! I wasn't the only one...

Matt from the Stewartville FFA Chapter and Dan from Medford FFA Chapter were like Spiderman on the rock walls. When I first made the wall summit, I told Matt and he said, "oh yeah, me too ...blindfolded."

Rock climbing was a blast, and thank you to all who were there to cheer everyone else on!

For Bob Barker (my small group, and the best), the volleyball tournament wasn't so victorious. I ate a lot of sand and while Courtney from Montevideo and Mag from the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winstead FFA Chapters saved my butt with some intense vball skillz. As much as I we would have loved to (figuratively speaking), spay and nueter the opposing team, (meaning defeat), we lost 21-10... :(

As always, here are some fun things and facts I learned about the awesome SGLC "contestants" :

Beau from the Mountain Lake FFA Chapter, is a beast on the volleyball court.(period)

Shawna from the Goodhue FFA Chapter, was one of the top Creed Speakers in the State at this past Convention. She even shared her talent with everyone at the Banquet. Congrats!

Megan from the Medford FFA Chapter, loves to take pictures and is always willing to risk boldly and try new things. (THANKS FOR THE PHOTOS !)

Travis from the Owatonna FFA Chapter, was the FIRST person to arrive at SGLC and I was honored to welcome him and carry his guitar. He also performed at the talent show and I hope to see his talent again at the State Fair on the Christensen Farms Stage!

Aryel from the Buffalo Lake-Hector FFA Chapter, is one of the most outgoing people I met at SGLC. I found out she was among the culprits of BLH at State Convention who pulled the ," you dropped your pocket/ socks are untied" joke on me whenever I walked by. Thankfully, it wasn't her. Aryel is a lot of fun to be around and I could always count on an answer from her.

William from the HLWW FFA Chapter, has waaaay to much free time considering he memorized and performed the "Element Song" as seen on You tube, at the Talent show. I probably laughed the most during his talent. props to you!

Heather from the Hayfield FFA Chapter, has similar aspirations to myself in the fact that she wants to become a large animal veterinarian! Sooooo cool.

Jacob from the Tracy Area FFA Chapter, was quite the entertainer during the Banquet Skits which simply mock and copy the state officers. His stands out the most to me, because he was me and the awesome peach christmas sweater I wore for morning news. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD Morning!

Brooke from the Zumbrota-Mazeppa FFA Chapter, loves sheep too! Even though she does not show Polypays, I can still forgive her and look forward to seeing her at the State FFA Sheep Show!

Travis from the Ulen Hiterdahl FFA Chapter , along with his camp Ag Sales team gave the most memorable and intersting sale I have ever witnessed. I still crack up thinking about it...

I distinctly remember, even before I was a state officer, when I was talking with past president Derek and past reporter Sydney. They reminded me that there will be certain times in the year when you just want to quit; you are in over your head; you are stressed; things just don't work out and you want to be done. They also reminded me that there will be times when you are on cloud nine; everything rocks; you never want the day to end.

I will admit, there was a time during SGLC when I just wanted to quit because I wasn't satisfied with how I was presenting and other things that primarily revolved around me. Even though I may have had a bad day, that isn't nearly enough to outweigh one of the best weeks I have ever had in my life. Thank you so much to each and every single member who came to SGLC. Thank you for letting me get to know you, and give true meaning and purpose of my service as a Minnesota State Officer. The people I met, friends I made, cabin chats, canoeing, watermelon feed, banquet skits, reflections, jokes, tears on the last day, games and laughter surpass anything that may have tried to make me question my service. I am proud to serve the state of Minnesota, especially knowing the outstanding members I met at SGLC .

I can confidently say that I believe in a future of agriculture due to the talent, passion, leadership that I saw present and develop with in each and every 147 Minnesota FFA members present!

I believe, because I see that you believe.

As promised, I am proud to announce the 2009-2010 Minnesota FFA Theme...

iBelieve

Ever since our organization was founded, the words ,"I Believe" have resounded because of the word power E.M Tiffany placed in the 5 paragraphs we recognize as the FFA Creed. Today, American agriculture is so different and diverse in comparision to what is was over 80 years ago, during the beginnings of the FFA, as we aspire to become tomorrow's: ag teachers, biotechnologists, veterinarians, dog breeders, natural resource officers, agronomists, engineers, florists, electricians, landscapers and politicians. FFA is not just for "farm kids" anymore. The National Organization is 500,000 members strong rooted in the belief of a future of agriculure; the belief of service and humility; and the belief in the power of leadership.

Here are some draft graphics to give you an idea of what we are thinking !

A final big thank you goes out to our 2009 SGLC sponsors : Alliance Pipeline, CHS, Northland Ford Dealers and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. Thank you for your support, especially for the cool T-shirts!