Fbla Club Competition

As a sophomore in high school, I have taken part in a variety competitions ranging from athletics, to academics, and even competitive games for entertainment. Nonetheless, I hardly cared about my success in the majority of them; I didn't care enough to try, probably due to my lack of motivation, or the fact that I was forced into competing through peer pressure, or the high expectations of my family. However, one should always strive for success in everything they do, no matter how small the task; this is a lesson I learned through competing in my school’s Future Business Leaders of America club over the last year. When I became a freshman in high school, I joined the school’s Future Business Leaders of America club. The FBLA Spring District
Conference came around, in which you had to compete to attend. The vast majority of competitions offered by the FBLA seemed far out of my league; therefore, I elected to compete in the Introduction to Business Mathematics competition. Nonetheless, I didn’t intend to try--besides, this competition only acted as my ticket into the conference and out of school for a day. I was given everything I needed to prepare for the test--a study guide, a packet of example problems and practice worksheets--but I neglected them.
When the test date arrived, I simply went through and answered the questions I knew easily, then I answered the harder ones. I hardly finished in the allotted time frame for the test; I hardly expected to place at the upcoming conference. The FBLA Spring District Conference took place a month after I competed. The conference consisted of speeches from our district FBLA officers, contests, games, and presentations to fill the time before the award ceremony, all of which I ignored; I spent the time fooling around with my friends, being an overall irresponsible FBLA member. The time for the award ceremony arrived, but I continued to pay the assembly no attention. After some time, the Introduction to Business Mathematics awards were announced; three names were called, followed by mine. Due to my not paying attention, I failed to noticed; my fellow FBLA members had to get my attention, and direct me to the
stage. My three fellow competitors and I made our way to the center of the stage in a single file line. There I stood, carelessly, hands in my pockets, in front of hundreds of students. The award for fourth place was announced, and the competitor to my walked forward to accept his award. By now I was confused; there was no way I could’ve placed higher than the other competitors, who must have studied and actually cared about the competition, right? Following the announcement of fourth place was the award for third place, and I continued to stand awaiting my results. Finally, my name was called for second place, but how could this have happened? I hardly even tried on the test! With what must have been a look of utter stupor on my face, I walked forward to accept my award, and trekked off stage to join my fellow FBLA members in the crowd. Once I reached them, I was congratulated, and told that I would be moving on to compete at the FBLA State Competition. I took a seat with my friends and admitted I did not want to compete at the state competition; in truth, I didn’t even know how I could’ve placed so well in this competition. Fast forward a few months, and my sophomore year of high school began. Once again, I signed up for the Future Business Leaders of America club; this time, however, I had a vow to do better. I wanted to see myself at my full potential. Once more, I signed up for the Introduction to Business Mathematics competition at the FBLA Spring District Conference; however, this time, I prepared myself. I probed the study content, and worked out the example problems. When the test date came, I was confident in my skills math skills. At the FBLA Spring District Conference, I listened to each speech and presentation given by our district FBLA officers; I roared my friend’s names as they competed onstage; I clapped for each person who showcased themselves during the talent show.
Throughout this, I sat anticipating the award ceremony; I desperately wanted to know my results. After what felt like forever, the award ceremony commenced. I cheered for each of my fellow FBLA members who competed in the other competitions until, finally, the awards for the Introduction to Business Mathematics competition began. Six names were called, including mine. Nerves on end, I made my way to the stage: my hands shook, my knees wobbled, and I felt short of breath. After mounting the steps and completing the group of competitors, we walked together in a single-file line, stopping center-stage to look out on the auditorium filled with hundreds of student from schools all around our district. Scouring the crowd for my school proved difficult; our group was small and hard to locate among the immense crowd, but I managed to find my friends. The award for sixth place sounded throughout the auditorium, and one of the competitors left the stage. Shortly following that was the award for fifth place, followed by fourth and all the way to third, until the competition was narrowed down to two competitors: me and somebody
else. I could feel my composition breaking down as my knees wobbled beneath me; I was frightened that my formal demeanor would fall apart in front of the hundreds of people who had their eyes on us. After what felt like eons, second place was announced; time seemed to slow down as my competitor walked to accept their second place award. My eyes must have popped out of my skull in surprise as I stood alone on the stage. The announcer spoke into the microphone: “In first place for Introduction to Business Mathematics, Sarah Ricketson!” Cheers erupted from my miniscule FBLA club. My knees shook violently as I stepped forward to accept my certificate and plaque announcing my first-place position. Once I had rejoined my school in the crowd, I was greeted with congratulatory hugs and handshakes; the FBLA facilitators told me how proud they were. My friends welcomed me back to my seat as they jokingly told me how terrified I looked. I admitted to them that I was shocked; the entire time I stood on the stage, I felt like I was going to faint. Fast forward to the present day, and here I am anxiously awaiting the FBLA state competitions. I am filled with pride due to my accomplishments, as are my parents and teachers. My confidence and self-esteem improved massively. Striving for success and reaching your full potential has its perks!