Future farmers weather storm

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SULPHUR-BOUND!
May 13, 2015

Just a week ago torrential rains and a posse of tornadoes plagued Oklahoma and some other states, with an unusual flash flood emergency in Oklahoma City.

This would be of little concern here except that some teens from Thibodaux High School were staying at a hotel there in the Sooner State, which made it a big concern for anyone hearing of the situation conditions.

For the record, and to begin with, let’s make clear that the kids are just fine, and that the only injury suffered was a weather-related inability for one of them to compete, because the airport was closed, and that meant the Future Farmers of America soil judging team from Thibodaux was prevented from competing as a team.


But more about that later.

The students – three who competed with four alternates – were in Oklahoma City for the Future Farmers of America land judging competition. For those not familiar with the FFA, it is an organization that promotes agricultural learning, and is present in schools that have formal agriculture programs, one of which is Thibodaux High.

The specific event had to do with the teens using their acquired knowledge of lands and soils and their composition, down to and including moisture, consistency, the degree of erosion, and other factors.


The only after-school things I participated in were speech and debate as well as a few plays, so I couldn’t begin to give you more details of all this. But it is a very big deal for future farmers, or other teens who somehow see agriculture-related careers in their futures. They say to be chosen for this particular competition – yes it is a competition – is a very great honor.

Jonathan and Mark Arceneaux are the faculty advisors and last week they traveled with their students to Oklahoma City. Some work was done in the place where the land to be judged was located on Wednesday, and they got to stay in a very cool, older hotel called The Biltmore.

Kassie Sanmiguel, Justin Babin, Elly Lyle, Alec Stieffel, and Brennan Usey arrived with their teachers. Randi Lynn Toups was to arrive later on a different plane.


It was on Wednesday night that the rains came, part of a violent and deadly storm system that crashed through Oklahoma and areas around it, and the rain came down in buckets. It didn’t break any records but came very close.

Jonathan Arceneaux braved the rain to pick her up Randi Lynn, but the plane got diverted to Tulsa.

At the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City that rain was still coming down and there was a tornado warning on the radio for the airport area, and Jonathan heard the siren but never did see a tornado.


Randi Lynn would stay with relatives in Tulsa, and they were to drive her to Oklahoma City the next morning.

Back at the Biltmore, conditions deteriorated. There was a problem with the lowest floor, where some of the Thibodaux High students were staying. About three inches or more of water got into the hotel and there were attempts to soak it up but it wasn’t smart for anyone to remain in those rooms, so the students who were downstairs had to move upstairs and take new rooms.

The next morning everybody was ready to go back to the judging event.


But Randi wasn’t going to be there.

The distance from Tulsa to Oklahoma City is more than 100 miles, and if you can imagine driving that distance in a place that’s been flooded, where tornadoes have visited, and being safe as well then you would know, as everyone else did, that it was darned near impossible to do that and be on time.

So the team ended up not being able to compete, because the rules say all hands must be present, and rules are rules.


Randi Lynn did finally make it to Oklahoma City and she joined her schoolmates and teachers for a special banquet at a place called the Cowboy Museum.

Friday everyone came back, marveling at having been in a place where the water can come up so high so fast – like it certainly does here – but then goes down without hardly a trace.

And the Thibodaux High students who braved competition but ended up braving a big storm are – despite the competition glitch – heroes and heroines in the eyes of Lafourche Parish.


“Our kids work hard, our advisors are really dedicated and we have a good team of kids involved in these things,” said Floyd Benoit, speaking for the school system.

Which means that with or without trophies, the Future Farmers of Thibodaux High are all winners.

Future farmers weather storm


Thibodaux High School Future Farmers of America at the Cowboy Museum banquet last week in Oklahoma City. From left: Kassie Sanmiguel, Justin Babin, Elly Lyle, Randi Lynn Toups, Alec Stieffel, and Brennan Uzee.

COURTESY