Reardan FFA team brings home the silver

REARDAN–The local state winning FFA Agricultural Issues team placed in the top 16 at the FFA National Convention on Oct 26-29, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to bring home the Silver Award.

In the preliminary round, Ashley Landt, Tyler Clouse and Andrew Schulz bested perennial powerhouse Oklahoma, along with teams from Oregon and California. Advisor Rick Perleberg said the team "knocked it out of the park."

Their presentation titled, "Will Washington mandate themselves out of the workforce?" was articulate, engaging and energetic, he said.

"When they were done, it was a mic drop," Perleberg said. "They were that good. Andrew and Ashley were amazing, and Tyler's execution was beyond anything I'd ever seen."

Clouse said he was initially nervous during their preliminary match, but the butterflies faded upon realizing "that we were doing great."

In the semi-final round, Reardan was pitted against Texas, Georgia and Florida. Texas won that round on their way to the championship.

Though disappointed in not making the finals, Schulz was proud of his team. Last year, seven members comprised the team but by nationals they were down to three.

Because they were short handed, they "had to learn a whole new script two and a half weeks before the national competition," Schulz said. "No other team can say that."

"It was a great experience to compete at the national level," Clouse said. "Since we'd been working on our presentation for more than a year, it was nice to see our hard work pay off."

Schulz added, "It was a once in a lifetime opportunity."

The team returned home tired but has already set its sights on next year's competition.

"Getting back on the national stage would be absolutely amazing," Schulz said.