Riley - Tennessee State Convention

On March 28th I found myself in Gatlinburg, TN for the Tennessee state convention. WOW is all I have to say. It was a blast from the moment I arrived.







The first night in Tennessee I went to dinner with a crazy group of state officers Peyton, Jesse, Colby, Jeffrey, Kris, Clayton, Doug, and Kye. I was completely happy to be in a place where SWEET tea (or as my Michigan friends would call if "Dirt Water!) is served in restaurants! We had a treat of fried catfish and hush puppies...delicious!





After dinner we went to ride go carts and play putt putt. Now I was gaining good ground and was about to take the lead in the go carts before I was spun out. Thank guys, I will get you back one day for that one!





The next day was filled with hanging out with the state officer candidates, the nominating committee, and members of the TN FFA. Once the convention got started it was non-stop action! I am very impressed with the professionalism, and passion that the TN state officers put into making this convention a success. Between amazing pre-sessions by Sam and Wesley, a hypnotist show, awards, speaking events on stage, and line dancing there was never a dull moment!

It was extremely exciting for me to run into the David Crockett FFA Chapter. David "Davy" Crockett is a Tennessee native, and was one of the original settlers of Texas. He fought during the Texas Revolution and died at the battle of the Alamo. He is a legend in Texas, and has a statue in the Texas Capitol, and he is in every history book in the state. As a kid, you were always the coolest if you would dress up as Davy Crockett for Halloween, and we all had one of those trademark Raccoon Hats!

I was taken back in time as we watched the new state officer team being announced. TN announces their team in the same way that National FFA announces the officers, and I have to admit that I was nervous, and my heart was pounding as that recognizable music came on the loud speakers!


Looking back on the week, it was amazing. I made many good friends in TN, and I hope to run into you all again in the future.