All the Feels - Final thoughts on the Wyoming FFA Convention

To my convention team,

This picture guts me.  I think it’s how we all feel after state convention.  Sad that it’s over, content with the job we’ve done and excited at what the future holds.

I just wrapped up what I figure to be my 23^rd Wyoming FFA Convention, my 16^th as the convention manager.  It was one for the record books.  In the interest of student safety, we postponed our agricultural mechanics, meats evaluation and agronomy contests in Laramie because of weather.  Then in a fun little twist, the City of Cheyenne shut down, leaving us without a Civic Center for Session 1.

It was a teensy bit stressful.  I think I aged two years in 12 hours.

But this convention will also go down as one of my favorites because of how we all pulled together and pulled it off anyway.  Weather and closures be damned.  My staff regrouped, doubled-down and squashed two nights into one so seamlessly, everyone told me we should do it like that every year.

(Which we are NOT doing, Mr. Pannell.  Just so you know. 🙂 )

And those state officers…wow.  I’m not going to lie.  There was a moment where I wasn’t sure if they had the mettle we needed to survive the week.  As I sat them on the stage and explained we had to cancel their opening session, I couldn’t tell if they were trying not to cry or not to throw up.  They left looking a little shell-shocked.  I honestly didn’t know if they would sink or swim at that point.

But they swam.  They swam with confidence, courage and conviction.  This team had something thrown at them that no other officer team has ever had to deal with and They.Rocked.It.  We skipped an entire session, lost more than half-a-day of practice time and they rolled into Session 1.5 and flat performed.

Truth be told, I’m a little irritated with them over it.  All year long we’ve been prodding and nudging and demanding more from them.  The officers always did a good job, but I never felt like they were giving it their all.

Last week, they gave the Wyoming FFA everything they had.  I’m unbelievably proud of them for that.  I kinda wished they’d pushed themselves more all year, because I shudder to think what they could have achieved.  But when it counted, they performed.

For the record, I take zero credit for the amazing, if frenetic, 2019 Wyoming FFA Convention.  That was entirely the work of my staff, our interns and these state officers.  It’s a testament to the character of FFA members, past and present, to pull off something great in the face of adversity.  I also credit coffee.  Lots and lots of coffee.

To my staff and interns…thank you isn’t enough.  You handled everything so well and so perfectly, the only thing left for me to do during each session was to grab my camera and shoot pictures from the audience.  When I would panic because there was a detail I feared overlooked, you had taken care of it.  When I just couldn’t help myself and would double-check or micro-manage, you handled my twitchiness with grace and kindness.  I am blessed to have the very best in the nation running my backstage.

And to the officers…you killed it.  You absolutely killed it.  When the stakes were highest, you brought your best game ever.  I tried telling you in a dozen different ways a dozen different times but the words got caught in my throat.  But seeing this picture reminded me that I needed to tell you now how proud I am of you.  This is the end of your state officer year.  But not the end of your service to FFA.  You each have SO much left to give our Association and this world.  You are funny, smart, charismatic, sweet and tough and talented.  There are legacies yet to be forged by you.  I for one, cannot wait to see them.

New officers will take the stage next year.  New interns will come on board and other interns will leave us for real jobs and families. But I’ll always carry this convention, and all of you staff and officers, in my heart.  In twenty years, this is the one we will still talk about and say “Remember that convention when we had to cancel Session 1?  Wasn’t that an awesome convention?”

Soon enough it will be time to plan for Convention 2020.  Until then, get some rest.  Eat some vegetables.  And pat yourselves on the back.  You’ve earned it.

I myself need to get back to my regularly scheduled lives.  There are weddings to edit, newly engaged couples to photograph and news releases to write.  But know none of you are far from my heart in the offseason.

All my love,

Mrs. Milner

photo credit: Jordan Holmes, Wyoming FFA media intern