After putting in more than 5,000 hours of work throughout the year, Ouachita’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) group received the honor of regional champions March 30.
The team traveled to a regional competition in Dallas to present the results of projects they completed throughout the year.
“[At] the regional convention…the SIFE teams from Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma compete to advance to nationals,” said Britta Stamps, SIFE member. “The teams make a presentation of their activities and how they impacted and changed the world.”
David Hollis, SIFE president, said the presentation team spent more than 200 hours preparing for the nearly 24-minute presentation at regionals.
“We had a team write out the script summarizing all of the projects we did over the year and coordinated with Nate Peace on putting the DVD for the presentation together,” he said.
As a member of the presentation team, Stamps was responsible for memorizing lines and attending practices.
“I went over my lines for about an hour a day for almost two weeks, then attended each practice,” she said. “Lindsey Pry, Stephanie Carrell and I shopped for matching outfits for the team as well.”
In addition to Stamps, Hollis, Peace, Pry and Carrell, other members of the presentation team included Juliana Braswell, Haley Prowell, Calvin Reynolds and Matt Rose.
The members of the team stood in front of judges and presented information about projects Ouachita’s SIFE group had done throughout the year, from hosting workshops both on and off campus to increasing recycling and the use of alternative fuels throughout the campus and community. While reciting lines, a DVD of footage from the events and facts and figures played behind the presenters.
The team competed against teams from four other universities in its league. Upon being recognized as regional champions, the team was invited to compete at the national competition to be held in Minneapolis in May.
Stamps said the team continues to prepare for nationals.
“We will continue to practice the presentation several times a week,” she said. “We are waiting on the judges’ comments from regionals and we will change our DVD or our lines if there is anything they thought could be better.”
Hollis said he is satisfied with the culmination of SIFE this year.
“We learned a lot from winning regionals last year and I hope we are able to keep building on that success,” he said. “I think the last few years have laid a good foundation for the years to come and I hope that the upcoming teams keep on that tradition.”
Stamps said she plans on continuing to be involved in SIFE next year.
“Hopefully I will be an officer and help coordinate projects,” she said. “I am personally working on a GED student partnership program and I hope to make that project a success.”
Students interested in becoming a part of SIFE can contact any current officer or faculty sponsors Dr. Jay Robbins and Dr. Jim Files.
By Tanner Ward, Signal Writer
