WOODBURY — With the date coming closer, Woodbury FFA teams are starting to prepare more than ever to make sure they do well with competition at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, from Oct. 30-Nov. 3. 

This year, there are many different teams going to nationals because they placed first in state competitions: Quiz Bowl, an FFA trivia competition; Mechanics CDE, which focuses on agricultural mechanics; Conduct of Chapter Meetings LDE, a mock meeting competition; and Employment Skills CDE, .

These teams consist of many talented people who have worked hard to get their spot at nationals. The Woodbury FFA has worked out the kinks to prepare for the event.

“We had a couple of staffing issues, but we were able to work that out and continue with practicing,” said Tom DiMarco, coach of the Conduct of Chapter Meetings team. 

This can-do attitude illustrates that the team was able to push through the trouble of not having enough competitors to form a team, but finally was able to grow their team to help them qualify for competition.

While most people who are going to nationals in Indianapolis are part of a team, the Woodbury FFA team does have one solo competitor: Emma Bigman. Bigman earned her plaque for coming in third place at the Big E in the Employment Skills competition, a skill she’ll put on display at the FFA National Convention.

“I’ve been working with Mrs. [Jennifer] Jedd as my coach and doing mock interviews and have been re-writing my thank you letter over and over again,” said Bigman. “I’m very excited to represent Woodbury FFA at nationals in the Employment Skills competition.

Within the Employment Skills competition, students have many different interviews, in-person and over the phone. All the competitors complete a résumé, cover letter, job description, write formal thank-you letters as well as additional components for this competition.

Another team that is competing at nationals is the Mechanics CDE team. For this team, practice is essential leading up to the Indianapolis trip because these student competitors are more hands-on and need to be able to be safe while knowing what they are doing and performing for judges.

“The mechanics team practices once a week in Mr. Z’s [Andrew Zielinski, Nonnewaug’s ag mechanics teacher] room and we are doing stuff like electrical welding and different ways on how to set up sprayers,” said Nathan Hayes, member of the team.  

With the National FFA Convention less than a week away, every team is trying to get in their last on-campus practice. This ensures that if teams are unable to practice in Indianapolis, teams are at least prepared for the competition. 

“Success at nationals is our chapter doing the best they can at all their competitions representing our chapter and state with appropriate behavior,” said Samantha Kostka, the Woodbury FFA Chapter president, “learning leadership skills and having a fun time and enjoying meeting new people from all across the country.”