Before the 2009-2010 Indiana FFA officers became 'has-beens,' the joking term used lovingly amongst past state officers once their term ends, each addressed the 2,500 members of the audience with a retiring speech they had written themselves. And by the way, the retiring group is anything but has-beens, look at them to do exciting things in the future.

Six of the seven are enrolling in the Purdue University School of Agriculture this fall. One, Blair Boyer, is headed to Oklahoma State, to follow in her big brother's footsteps in agriculture.

Quiet before the storm- Daniel Bechman relaxes before going on stage to deliver his retiring address as a 2009-2010 FFA state officer.

Retiring officers included: Travis Martin, Carroll at Flora FFA, president: Blair Boyer, Tipton, secretary; Emmy Kratz, Prairie- Heights, northern region vice-president; Joe Rust, Seymour, Southern Region vice-president; Daniel Bechman, Franklin, treasurer; Heidi Melton, Shenandoah, reporter; and Kyle Malcolm, Eastside FFA.

In his retiring address, Daniel Bechman, Franklin, kept the crow engaged with his energetic 'put downs' of the elusive 'what if.' His message was that if you live you're life worried about the 'what if' or what could happen, you won't reach your full potential.

Instead, focus on what you can do, and do it, Bechman said. He related the story of a young high school student, a former football teammate of Bechman's who is now a leukemia patient. He and his family have battled it for more than six months. And while he has a long ways to go, he is making progress, with the support of his family, who continue to fight instead of worrying about 'what if the treatment doesn't work?' or 'will he ever get to play football again.'

Every speech was motivational in nature. Heidi Melton brought out a large mirror, a free-standing mirror that you see in some older homes, and talked about looking at yourself in the mirror. Her point was whether you see the person you want to see. If not, you can change it.

Joe Rust entertained the crowd with stories of some of his boyhood antics, including busting trees with a four-wheeler just for fun. He told the rest of the story, too, however, noting that their 'fun' eventually did serious damage to the Gator and left it unusable when it was really needed.   

Each officer was introduced by two to four family members important to them. The seven-officer team wrote not only these speeches, but wrote and produced the script for the entire convention.