Different Organizations, Different Events

Choosing the right competitive event is extremely important.

One epic year, I was the primary or secondary advisor in four CTSOs. It was a whirlwind year of meetings and competitions, training students for competitions in FBLA, DECA, SkillsUSA and HOSA. It was a very small high school, and we had one or two kids who did all four that year. All four. One kid went to international competition in all four. And won. It was a great year.

So, if you are an advisor for one or more of these fantastic organizations—or any of the other four—you are probably pretty shocked that we were able to find excellent events for kids across different organizations. There really is some crossover between the CTSOs—sometimes you just have to look a little deeper to find it! 

No Need To Concentrate

The absolute best thing about any of the eight CTSOs is the unique opportunities presented to our young people. They are given chances, and exposed to industry professionals and motivational speakers in all of them. These experiences, I know from first-hand experience, can definitely change the trajectory of a teenagers life.

That’s why I encourage students to participate in more than one CTSO during their high school experience. It frustrates me when a kid tells me they want to “concentrate on” one CTSO and refuse to join another. We need to cultivate a different perspective for our students, one that is more inclusive of all organizations, almost expecting students to join more than one. Maybe you are an officer in only one, but you can still—quite easily—be an active participant in more than one. 

So now that we’ve got some of these students, whether they are new members, crossover members from another organization, or experienced veterans, how do we lead them to the right competitive event? We need to be choosing the right competitive event. Let’s look at it from different perspectives:

Different Kids

The age of your competitor is extremely important. Not only do you have less self-confidence from the younger students, but you also have that fear of failure that upperclassmen carry with them. We need to direct them towards events that will build up their confidence, while also possibly getting them on stage. 

Freshmen

You’ve got them in the door—the hardest part is over!!! We’ve talked about recruiting students at the beginning of school, or maybe (like me) you started recruiting them during 8th grade visits to your campus! Either way, they know all about your organization, and had the courage to show up. They probably came with a friend or two (who may or may not show up again), and they sat near the back trying to be invisible. 

Sophs/Juniors

This is probably your “core group” of participants, and will make up the bulk of your competitive roster this year. This group tends to attend meetings—and competitive event training—on the regular, and soak up as much information and coaching as you are willing to give them. Cultivate this group as much as you can—these are the kids you’ll see on stage.

Seniors

This group is too cool for the room. They tend not to volunteer as much in meetings—leaving that for that sophomore and junior group. They also have much more spotty attendance, but not because they aren’t interested! Just the opposite! You’ve trained them very well in interview skills and getting a job…so they did! Their schedules with work, sports, family, are the most packed—especially during college application season, so you need to give them grace and patience during training and extra meetings. 

Different Levels Of Experience

It isn’t so much age that separates a person on stage from the people who don’t make top ten—it’s the level of experience the competitor has. It doesn’t take too much common sense to recognize that my senior who has competed in four CTSOs since freshman year is going to crush your brand new first-year freshman in any competition. It’s just like any skill—it has to be honed and practiced for students to be successful at the state level.  

First-year events

I’m very happy to say that many of the CTSOs have recognized the uneven balance of competition and have responded by creating events specifically for the younger competitors. These are generally scaled-down versions of the rest of the competition list, and will have prompts and required questions that are on the level of someone completing the first year of study in the subject.  

Repeating an event?

Although DECA has been doing it for years, this is the first year that FBLA will allow someone who has competed in an event previously to compete in that event for another year, as long as they didn’t make the finals in the previous year. This is a huge shift, and something I have enjoyed exploiting, in DECA for a long time. We will see how this plays out in FBLA.

So, if you think you were choosing the right competitive event before, you can choose it again!

Capstone events

So at the end of four years of being a competitor in a CTSO, there should be competitive events that demand the absolute best combination of experience and educational expertise from our students. Fortunately, there is a natural progression to many of the competitions in the CTSOs, so students can envision themselves going up that ladder to reach the height of competition and success.

Should They Do More Than One Event?

My friends across the country are reading this section with furrowed brows and confusion in their eyes. Compete in more than one event? Really?

Welcome to Nevada. Where CTSOs are in their infancy, still, and we give our students unprecedented opportunities! For Nevada DECA, a student can do two events at the state level, and at Nevada FBLA State, a student can do a staggering five events. Yeah…five. 

Do I recommend it? You’re darned right I do! I am in the business of giving opportunities and experiences, and this is absolutely the best way for students to dabble in different events and subject matters, looking for their niche, their favorite, maybe their college major.

So, yeah, we max out on events for every competitor. I’m not expecting someone to sweep every event (but I have had someone win first place in four events one year at State), but I’m hoping that by spreading themselves out, trying new things, the student will not only be successful academically, but that they will continue to build that extremely valuable self-confidence.

One of the easiest ways to start choosing the right event, is to just start choosing all of them!

How Do You Choose Who Competes In What?

I just finished telling you my kids compete in five events at state in FBLA. Last year we took forty (40) kids to that competition. Scheduling them was a Tetris puzzle. 

Do first-year if you can!

Enough said. If your student qualifies for a first-year event in DECA or FBLA, that is absolutely the way to go. It’s an opportunity that won’t repeat, and needs to be taken. 

In-house competitions

I worked at a school that focused on Business Financial Math every year. It was absolutely nuts! So, I created a preliminary test in that subject, and only the people who scored in the top five were allowed to compete at state. I’ve done the same thing for other events, when too many students want to be in that event.

Most states do this type of culling of competitors at a regional competition, but that does not exist in Nevada yet, so I do it myself.

Preferential scheduling

I’ve got a freshman for four years, but there is only one state conference left for my seniors to get that gold they have been coveting. So, yes, I do give preferential scheduling to previous competitors. I had a kid last year that got robbed in Public Speaking, so he can absolutely repeat that event this year to try to get on that national stage.  

What’s my opinion?

I’ve got the benefit of multiple events in both DECA and FBLA, so I really do try to let kids choose what interests them. Except…when they are way off base. I definitely will have that important conversation with a kid if I feel like they are scheduling badly, or should give something another try. I don’t force them, but based on our existing relationship, my opinion tends to carry some weight. Yours will, too. 

How To Dissuade Competitors From Certain Events

Sometime you know you are choosing the right competitive event for a kid and you should definitely let them know…but….

Sometimes kids can’t be dissuaded, and that’s okay.

Remember that they are doing all of the prep work and studying, and it’s their parents footing the bill. It’s okay for them to compete in an event you don’t necessarily agree with. I had a kid—absolute ringer for Accounting—desperately wanted to do Economics at nationals. I tried vigilantly to talk him out of it, but he was adamant. He was a senior, and when he didn’t get on stage, I didn’t say one word. He said three words to me, though. Can you guess? “You were right.” If only I had a nickel…

How To Persuade Competitors To Try Something New

Comfort breeds confidence.

So, you need to make your competitors as comfortable with the event as they can possibly be, so they can approach it confidently.

I’ve found that doing weekly competitive event information sessions, practices, mock interviews, Kahoots, and anything else you can come up with to let them learn and feel comfortable in the competitive arena, the greater the likelihood they will try, and they will win. We build a portion of competitive events into every meeting, so that it becomes second nature to our students. We do it in ice breakers and game formats and peer interviews.

It doesn’t have to be like school—it just needs to make competition a regular part of the overall experience. 

In the end…

You’ll get kids on stage. If not this year, then definitely next year.

You’ll have kids running from competitive event rooms, and the stage, grabbing you with both hands and shoving their plaques in your face with excitement. 

You’ll have alumni coming back to tell you how it changed their lives, their perspective, what they thought they could accomplish. 

For today, you’re doing all the right things. You’ve got them competing! That’s a win!!!

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR

Wow, thank you for reading about choosing the right competitive event!

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out how to keep your students safe, here, and learn how to teach an attitude of gratitude, here! Check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

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