Relive the Memories

This just in! You can now check out the slide show played at the end of the Awards Luncheon last week, after Wisconsin took the 2009 LifeSmarts National Championship title.

You can also download a PDF version here. Or, download a PDF of our complete state champion team lineup!

If you have any great photos from LifeSmarts nationals to share with us, please send them to the National Consumers League at media@nclnet.org!

Wisconsin Takes Title!

The kids from Oconto High School in Wisconsin have beaten Washington State's Kittias High School.

Introducing the 2009 National LifeSmarts Championship team:

Coach Tammie McCarthy
Co-coach Kay Johnson
Captain David Sohrweide
Taylor Thomson
Rylee Ahnen
Koty Slough

Congratulations, guys!

Final Match in Progress!

The Final Match is underway! Watch Washington and Wisconsin square off for the 2009 National Championship title live at www.NextGenWeb.org!

Live Now: New Hampshire vs. Wisconsin in Semi-Final #1

The semi-finals are a little more than an hour away, and NextGenWeb will be capturing the action for our friends and fans back home. Watch how this morning's competitions unfold at www.nextgenweb.org. Who will take home the 2009 National LifeSmarts Champion title?

LifeSmarts Coverage at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Check out Mathew Hathaway's latest Savvy Consumer column, where he challenges readers: Are you smarter than a teenage super consumer?

Monday Grid

Tshirt Contest Entries

Two shirts will win this year - one chosen by official LifeSmarts judges, and another People's Choice winner. Remember to cast your ballot for your favorite today! Winners will be announced Tuesday.

2009 State Champion Captains and Coaches

Good Morning from St. Louis

We were too busy getting our grooves on at the kick-off mixer last night (we'll post photos ASAP, promise! We got some great ones!) to post about our Saturday night welcome event. At the Saturday night orientation session, teams gathered for the first time to meet and greet, review some important LifeSmarts ground rules, and show some spirit.

Tom Quinn from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education delivered a great welcome to the teams, recounting the story of the origin of Missouri's "Show Me" nickname. An educator and administrator for some 30 years, Quinn welcomed the state champs and encouraged them to acknowledge that, while LifeSmarts has given them the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed, they still need to work daily on their behavior and attitude, which will ultimately determine their success.

Quinn recalled famous Missourians from Harry S. Truman ("the buck stops here") to Samuel Clemens ("reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated") and related their life stories to LifeSmarts lessons and honored the teens for their hard work on the road to LifeSmarts nationals: "You've shown people! And I congratulate you!"

Extra! Extra! Read all about us!

As reported in today's paper by Matt Hathaway of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

When high school students gather tonight for a mixer in a downtown hotel, much of the chitchat undoubtedly will revolve around the timeless staples of teenager conversation — pretty girls, cute boys, music and the like. It might even include some less obvious icebreakers: the efficiency of modern home appliances; ways to improve credit scores; and, if the night runs late, maybe even the intricacies of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

About 140 teens are coming to St. Louis for LifeSmarts, a youth tournament organized by the National Consumers League, the nation's oldest watchdog group...

Read the full article to get a sneak peak at what prizes will be taken home by the 2009 National Champion Team.

The Final Countdown

As many of you state champions are doing some last-minute packing (bring shorts and sunscreen, especially if you're going to baseball games or Segway tours), a few of them are en route, and one team has already arrived!

The guys from Maysville High School, representing Missouri from the other side of the state, were generous enough to help NCL staff stuff goodie bags and clear up which state college is nicknamed Mizzou (it's the University of Missouri). A couple of them were interviewed by a local St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter (we'll have to keep an eye out for a column this weekend), and one was quoted as being as ready as they'll ever be for the competition. So bring it on!

Yay! It's really happening! Safe travels, state champs! We'll see you tomorrow! And check out the blog tomorrow for a clue to the Scavenger Hunt you'll participate in when you arrive at the hotel.

Thanks, Experian!

Just days away from the 2009 National LifeSmarts Championship event kick-off in St. Louis, today the National Consumers League has announced it's received a $146,000 grant from Experian®, the global information services company. The grant will help underwrite LifeSmarts, NCL’s 15-year-old program, and it will allow NCL to forge a new partnership with Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) to bring LifeSmarts to its 220,000 student members nationwide.

Also, and this is big news for you state champion teams traveling to St. Louis to compete: for the first time this year, NCL will award each of the five students from the 2009 National LifeSmarts champion team a $1,000 academic scholarship, thanks to the grant from Experian.

Thanks, Experian! State champs can thank representatives from Experian in person in just a few days!

Destination: St. Louis!

The countdown to the 2009 National LifeSmarts Championship has begun! Stay tuned for information about the event, hosted by the National Consumers League, which will determine the 2009 national LifeSmarts champion! In the meantime, learn more about our program here.