Marathon FBLA continues legacy of success

By Mandee Ellis The Star News

High school students interested in learning how to interview for a job or give a public speaking presentation might consider joining the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). It’s a way to prepare for future careers by competing in marketing, accounting or entrepreneurship events. Students can get a jump start on networking by attending workshops and lectures held by keynote speakers, while also working in a team environment.

But, in Marathon City, FBLA is more than just a stepping stone. It’s a legacy.

At Marathon High School, every day at 10:30 a.m. you’ll find officers Emma Love, Braxton Jourdan, Abe Jacobson and Cayden Sapinski in FBLA advisor Ryan Winkler’s room for their leadership class.

“Our officer team works very well together,” said Jourdan, a senior and co-president of Marathon High’s FBLA chapter. “FBLA means a lot to our school. It’s the culture, all of our siblings did it.”

“The members from past years paved the way for our current members' success,” Winkler said. “It is fun to see brothers and sisters of past members be involved in FBLA.”

Every officer has been in FBLA for the entirety of their high school career, and most of them recall watching from the sidelines as their older siblings dedicated their time to the chapter. The exception is sophomore officer Jacobson, who had a more practical reason for joining.

“My dad is the advisor,” he joked, referring to Marathon teacher and FBLA co-advisor Luke Jacobson.

“My sister always talked about it; at first it wasn’t that important to me,” Jourdan continued.

“A lot of other people did it, my friends all joined so I did too,” said Sapinski, a senior and the other co-president of the chapter. “I’ve met so many people.”

They described attending FBLA orientation as freshmen and discovering that it wasn’t only the program that was worthwhile, but that its members were too.

Being a part of a smaller school works to their advantage as most of the kids grew up together. They each try to work toward a unified goal and believe that it all comes together more easily because the group is so close.

Having won regionals 17 years in a row, it’s hard to deny that their unique formula of fun, family and fortitude is getting the job done.

At the recent state competition, Marathon High FBLA saw success in the market share division. Market share is determined by dividing the club’s membership numbers, roughly 70 kids, by the school’s enrollment numbers, which is about 270. This means that 25% of Marathon City’s high schoolers participate in FBLA, the fifth highest number in the state.

Officers report that their participation rates are high, likely contributing to their first-place finish in the first annual Outstanding Small School Chapter competition this year. Additionally, the club will send 15 members to nationals later this summer, which is the second biggest group to make it to the national conference. The event be held in Anaheim, Calif., June 29 to July 2.

With all these milestones you might think that the members feel a massive amount of pressure to keep momentum, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

“I think we’re pretty confident; we prepare a lot,” said Love, a junior and fellow officer.

“The members are the key to the success of the program,” Winkler said.

Being together in their leadership class helps immensely, giving the officers an opportunity to work together to help steer the chapter in the right direction with the assistance of Winkler and Jacobson.

“We get to figure out what needs to be done,” Love stated.

“It could definitely take more time if we weren’t as organized,” Sapinski said .

And they have every intention of keeping the fire burning.

“When we came into high school they already had so many years of success,” Sapinski said.

Love said, “I think we don’t want to end the streak at regionals. That’s going to take a lot of preparation now.”

There’s always work to be done. As well as maintaining their tradition of winning regionals, the officers are hoping to guide the club as their advisors have done for them. Each officer identified the advisors as their role models, though Winkler is a bit skeptical. Why would they say that?

“Because I’m standing here,” he said. Jourdan said Winkler and Jacobson are always looking for improvement and asking the members to think about ways they could do better, with Love stating that their advisors communicate their expectations clearly at the beginning of the year. Sapinski said that they’re trying to follow their example by getting the rest of the club more organized and more involved.

“The goal is to make sure every member has a positive experience, whether it is through leadership activities, community service projects, or through competitive events,” Winkler said.

And, while they’re definitely utilizing their leadership class to problem-solve and streamline, it isn’t always just business in Winkler’s room.

Surprisingly, co-president Jourdan was voted most likely to get stuck in an elevator. Not surprisingly, his fellow officers also find him to be the most convincing. Jacobson was thrown under the bus more than once, with his peers reporting that he’s the most likely to trip over his own feet.

Sapinski, along with Winkler and Jacobson, of course, was chosen as having the best fashion sense, while Love is the most likely to start an impromptu dance party.

They’re a very cohesive group.

STATE CHAMPIONS- Marathon High FBLA is pictured at the state competition held in early April. The chapter was named the 2025 Outstanding Small School Chapter. The group also took fifth place in market share and will be sending 15 members to nationals, to be held in Anaheim, Calif., June 29-July 2.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

ANOTHER REGIONAL WIN - Marathon High School’s FBLA chapter won regionals for the 17th year in a row in early February. In front, from left to right, are the club’s officers: Abe Jacobson, Braxton Jourdan, Cayden Sapinski and Emma Love.