Placing Second, Then Third: What Repeated Contest Results Can Teach
Real Stories, Real Skills: Profiles and Case Studies
Imagine a member who places second one year and third the next. Is that progress or a slide? The honest answer is that a single placing says little. This article uses that hypothetical scenario to explain what repeated contest results can and cannot show, and it draws on two past National FFA presidents whose published accounts describe rough starts that turned into runner-up finishes. Then it offers a reflection routine to apply after any result.
- Key takeaway: results are data to reflect on, not verdicts, and the accounts below link improvement to goals, practice and attitude more than to trophies.
- Note: the second-then-third member is a made-up example used for illustration.
Two Real Arcs
Gary Swan, national president in 1966–67, told FFA he finished almost last in his first public speaking contest as a freshman and placed second at the Eastern States Exposition as a junior, a rise he attributes to setting goals and working toward them (source).
Trey Myers, president in 2025–26, entered FFA with little confidence. FFA’s December 2025 profile says a simple hand motion revealed he was shaking in his first speech contest and he did not place. He worked all season and ended up runner-up at the state contest. The profile says the drive home taught him that FFA was not about winning and titles but about people, laughter and connection (source).
Reading the Second-Then-Third Case
In the hypothetical, the member could have a stronger field the second year, a tougher topic, a different panel of judges or an off day. Or the member could have stopped practicing. A placing alone cannot tell you which. Kip Tom, a former National FFA Foundation trustee, told FFA that the organization taught him competitiveness in a spirited way that involves respect for everyone, and the habit of striving for continuous improvement (source). Continuous improvement is about the process, not any single score.
A Reflection Routine
| Question | Why ask it |
|---|---|
| What did I do well? | Names strengths worth repeating |
| What did judges say? | Gives outside information |
| What changed since last time? | Separates effort from luck |
| What one thing will I practice next? | Turns a result into a plan |
The routine is this site’s suggestion. Writing the answers down the same day keeps a disappointing result from turning into a vague feeling.
Questions Readers Ask
Is placing lower a sign I should quit?
Swan’s and Myers’s accounts suggest low early results can lead to better ones, but nobody can promise that.
How do I handle disappointment?
A Kentucky member’s guide in FFA reminds contestants that judges want them to succeed. Talking with an advisor or teammate can also help.
Honest Limits
The two presidents are memorable because they went on to national office, which is not a typical outcome, and both stories are told in retrospect. The sources do not show that contest improvement predicts later leadership.
On this site, Gary Swan, Trey Myers and Breanna Holbert have bios that record their paths without ranking their contest results.