Andi Montgomery – VP

Flip, flip, flip go the records as I sort through hundreds of them to find the perfect oldie I had been dreaming about. Pause. I pull the record out slowly, just to find it is warped. Plunk. Back into the file it goes. Flip, flip, flip. Time seems to continue forever, until finally I find it.

You might be wondering what a tedious day of record hunting could do with FFA.

To get the best quality of sound from a record, you must do a few certain steps, kind of like FFA.

First, you must take the beauty out of the cover, check for scratches and place it on the turn table.

In FFA, this looks like learning your skills and checking for obstacles.

Preparations might look like early contest team practices, or planning activities for chapter members.

Then, you must take the needle off the rest and gently place it on the outside of the disc.

Take action, and carefully keep track of your recordsso that you can get the most out of what you are producing. I know SAE’s can be hard to keep track of in the summer, but I promise if you diligently stick to it, it will pay off.

Finally, it’s time to select the right speed.

Find your tempo. This could look different for every FFA member — slow and steady or jumping in to get your feet wet in brand new ideas and activities. It is important to find the right pace for you, so that you will not get burned out or bored.

FFA members, as events keep flipping by, my challenge to you is to work on these steps, so you might hear the sweet sounds of success in your future!