Area FFA'ers compete in San Antonio

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

McNeil High School FFA'er Carolyn Mercer works with her market lamb, Pirate, before competition. - Staff photo by Carolyn Rost

Feb. 26, 2004 -- For the 55th year, the San Antonio Livestock Exposition, Inc. (S.A.L.E.) has completed its mission: "To provide a positive, educational experience for the youth of Texas."

Students, parents and teachers from all over the state competed for over $500,000 in scholarships, and although it wasn't all "fun and games," the FFA students competing with their animals seemed to believe it was a worthwhile week of events.

Carolyn Mercer, 16, of McNeil High School FFA in Austin, completed a busy week at school before she could think about competing with her sheep, Pirate. Since it was time for six-weeks testing, FFA members had to double-up with their school work and take their tests before leaving for San Antonio and the livestock show.

Mercer said she has always loved animals, and her other FFA friends all understand; it's some of the other, cheerleading friends who think working with farm animals is "pretty nasty," she laughed. Even her twin sister doesn't participate in FFA, Mercer offered.

Because of the snow on Valentine's Day, Mercer said the students had to take the animals into the showers to prepare them for the San Antonio showring. Normally, the animals who are housed on school grounds don't have that privilege!

Once the students arrived from Austin, there was a lot to do before the actual competitions. They had to set up their space, weigh-in their animals, and continue to practice with them until show time.

Mercer is planning on a career as a vet or surgery assistant, and hopes to study at Texas A&M University. She said she feels that belonging to FFA has taught her a lot about responsibility, time management and that hard work can pay off. Up until recently, Mercer even had a part-time job at a retail shop in Austin, along with her school work, cheerleading, and FFA duties.

Like most of the students interviewed, Mercer said the hardest part of being in FFA is when she is separated from her animal, at the end of the show. Although she said she understands that's how it works, it is still hard. These feelings even extend to the sheep that bumped a gate so hard it knocked out one of Mercer's front teeth in the past years of competition.

Daniella Diaz, 16, and Mercedes Arrendondo, 10, of the Jourdanton FFA group told pretty much the same story. Showing their sheep has helped them become more responsible and learn more about time management.

Arrendondo said the hardest part ... for her ... is the shearing, which she must do herself. It paid off in the county livestock show, since she won the breed championship, earlier this winter.

Unlike many FFA groups, Diaz said there are more girls than guys in their club, and they like that! Again, they said some of their friends understand their love of their animals and participation in FFA, yet other friends just "wonder why?"