Florence FFA team heading to nationals

By MANDY SPIKES | Central Texas Edition

The Florence FFA Food Science and Technology team consists of, from left: Ashley Lang, Jessica Satterfield, Brooke Adamson, and Jena Coulson. Along with their coach Melissa Loerwald, far right, the girls will travel to Louisville, Ky. to participate at the 2003 National FFA Convention. -- Photo by Mandy Spikes

October 23, 2003 -- FFA is a national youth organization that is dedicated to helping young adults learn valuable life-long skills such as leadership, personal growth, and the importance of hard work. Through various agricultural and educational experiences, FFA members become prepared for careers in the science, business, and technology aspect of agriculture.

Four girls from the Florence FFA chapter in Florence, have put their FFA skills to good use and are now enjoying the rewards. Juniors Jena Coulson and Jessica Satterfield and seniors Brooke Adamson and Ashley Lange have made it to the National FFA Food Science and Technology Career Development Event, which will take place Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Louisville, Ky. The event is being held during the 2003 National FFA Convention.

"We are so proud of these girls," stated Melissa Loerwald, agriculture teacher for Florence High School and the girls' coach. "The girls first competed in district and then made it on to regional. From our area, they made it to state and now they are the team representing the state of Texas. I am so proud of these four young ladies."

"We were so excited when they were announcing the results of the state contest," explained Adamson. "They announced the top 20 individuals from last to first. There were so many girls named Ashley and Brooke at the competition, so we kept expecting to hear our last name called.

"Right before they reached the top five individuals, we were getting really nervous since they had not called any of our names yet. Then they called our names. It was then that we realized that our team placed first."

Adamson, Coulson, and Lange received the top three places and Satterfield placed fifth. Because of their high individual score, the team placed first overall.

"We are so excited about scoring so high, both individually and as a group," stated Lange. "It's not very often that a small school such as ours achieves something like this. We feel that no matter what happens at national, we have already accomplished a lot."

The group feels that all of their hard work throughout the previous years have paid off this year. "We know what this competition is all about," Adamson said. "The awe of being at the event is no longer an issue with us. We can now focus on the contest."

Lange added, "The last time, I was in such shock because of the newness of it all. Now that we know what to expect, we can concentrate on doing well in the contest."

While going to the national competition is not a new experience for three of the girls, it's all new for Satterfield. "This is my first time going to the national competition. I am so excited about being able to go and meet other people from around the United States. When I look back, at least I will be able to say that I got to go."

The girls feel their strongest asset is their knowledge of all parts of the contest. The most challenging part is making sure they do well on the test part of the contest.

Adamson explained, "We are really working hard on becoming familiar with the procedures part. We are trying to really do well on the pictures test since we are not as strong in that area as we are in others."

Coulson stated that during the state competition, the scent portion of the competition was ranked higher then the pictures and all did well on that part. "For national, pictures are worth more than scents. So that means we are working more on the pictures part."

The girls said that they couldn't have done so well without the help of Loerwald. She has been a great teacher to them, helping to guide them when they had trouble figuring something out and constantly worrying about them.

"She teaches you that in the end, the work is worth it because in the long run, it will help you with the future," Adamson said. "She teaches you that it's fun to be successful."

All four girls stated that it's important to give FFA a chance. "Being in FFA is a great opportunity," said Coulson. "Too many people stereotype it as only teaching about farming. It's so much more than that, though. It helps you prepare for the future."

"There is something fun for everyone when you join the FFA," Adamson added.