Kolton Stolba

As a sports fan, I love to think of one of my favorite moments in sports history. June 11, 1997 – Game 5 of the NBA Finals where the Chicago Bulls were facing the Utah Jazz. That morning, Michael Jordan wakes up barely able to stand, sick with nausea and exhaustion. Despite his pain, Jordan knows how much his team needs him, so he decides to play. He steps onto the court with the flu and proceeds to drop 38 points, hitting a clutch 3-pointer in the last 30 seconds to seal the win. The Bulls take a 3–2 series lead and go on to win the championship. This game went on to be known as “The Flu Game.”

Ray Allen described it by saying, “That’s the greatest performance ever because he had no business even being out there.” I now realize Jordan wasn’t playing for himself. He was playing for Chicago. He understood the name “Jordan” on the back of his jersey was smaller than the Bulls logo on the front.

In one of my favorite songs, Macklemore’s “Can’t Hold Us”, he says, “My city’s right behind me, if I fall, they got me.” That’s exactly what Jordan embodied, and it’s what we all should embody, too. Our case looks a little different, though. On our FFA jackets, our names are on the front, but what’s on the back is so much bigger. When we wear that jacket, we represent our chapter, our state and ultimately the entirety of FFA.

Jordan’s flu game is remembered not just for the stats, but for what it meant. The same is true for us. Whether it’s FFA, school, sports or life, we should always remember that the name on the back is bigger than the name on the front.

Have you ever felt like you’re swimming against the current? I did, especially when I decided a shark hat was the perfect touch to my outfit at Area Officer Institute. What started as a quirky fashion statement turned into a powerful lesson about embracing my unique path, both in and out of FFA. It was something small, but it instantly made me recognizable the whole 24 hours I wore it. The rest of the weekend, I was “the guy in the shark hat,” and this opened so many new doors and created friendships. I wasn’t worried about standing out; I was just being myself, and I was okay with being different. 

Whenever I think of sharks, I think of an American staple: the Bass Pro Shops Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium. The second you enter the aquarium, you’re greeted by a school of fish. You look up and see all of these fish swimming in one direction together. But what stands out to me are the fish that are different in a way. They are swimming in the opposite direction. This opened my eyes to see you don’t always have to follow the current. You can take a different path and embrace being different.

As I progress in life, I’ve noticed my path will be different. Unlike most of my teammates, I am not attending college. I’ve always done things differently, and I’m sure you have too. It may feel like swimming against the current, but I’ve learned not to let that discourage me. 

As FFA members, we all have something that makes us different. Embrace your different path. Don’t be afraid to swim against the current. It doesn’t make you less. In fact, it makes you authentically you. Being true to that difference doesn’t close doors; it actually opens entirely new ones to unique opportunities. Dare to be different and don’t be afraid to go against the current.