What is DECA time?

I learned what DECA time was the hard way. At my very first competition I showed up two hours late. Two hours. By the time I found the right room, the event director was literally writing my name down to disqualify me. I stood there, panicked and out of breath, while they gave me that look that said, “Nice try, kid.” From then on, I realized something: in DECA, time works differently.

The schedule is a myth

On paper, everything looks orderly. You have a roleplay at 9:10 a.m., another at 1:30 p.m., maybe awards at 8:00 p.m. Easy enough, right? In reality, DECA time doesn’t care about the schedule. You might be slotted for 9:10 but not walk in until 10:00. Sometimes your events are hours apart, giving you a full day of downtime. Other times, you’ll have a roleplay at 12:00 and another at 12:30, sprinting between rooms like your life depends on it. DECA time is unpredictable, and that unpredictability is part of the fun.

Prep drags, presentations vanish

Most roleplays give you ten minutes to prep and ten minutes to present. Ten minutes doesn’t sound like much, but in the prep room it can feel eternal. You’re staring at the scenario, trying to invent the perfect strategy, and every tick of the clock seems exaggerated. You write, erase, rewrite. You go back to the top. You swear the judges are going to hear your pen tapping from across the hall.

Then, as soon as you stand in front of the judge, time collapses. Those ten minutes of presentation disappear in a blur. You’re talking, gesturing, throwing out buzzwords, and suddenly the judge thanks you and the round is over. You walk out unsure whether you nailed it or rambled for the entire time. DECA time bends and warps like that, stretching when you least want it to and vanishing when you need more of it.

The waiting game

What makes DECA time even stranger is the downtime between events. Sometimes you’ve got hours to wander the convention center, check out the local downtown, or grab food with your chapter. Other times, the gap is so short you barely have time to breathe.

And then there are the awards sessions. These can start late in the day, usually around 8:00 p.m., and sometimes run way too late into the night. You’ve just survived a full day of roleplays, and now you’re waiting to find out if all your effort paid off while your eyelids slowly close. But even this chaos is part of the experience. You never know when the ceremony will start or how long it will last, and you just have to roll with it.

A lesson in chaos

DECA time is inconsistent, messy, and a little ridiculous. But in a way, it’s the perfect training for the business world. Real business is full of delays, sudden changes, and unexpected pressure. Learning to adjust, laugh it off, and keep performing is what DECA teaches best.

So if you ever find yourself lost in the chaos of DECA time, remember: that’s kind of the point.

Written by Bennett Ganshorn, Region 3 President