Speech returns to in-person competitions, success at Glenbrooks
TAKE A BREATH Competing at a mock Speech Tournament after school, Kameryn Hubbard, sophomore, practices her Poetry speech. “I breathe and listen to pumped music trying to get my adrenaline up,” Kameryn said.
December 16, 2021
After an entire year of virtual meets and tournaments, Speech is back to competing in-person. Returning to their typical routines continues to be thrilling for members who missed the experience of in-person competitions.
“It was a different experience doing everything virtually on the computer,” Michael Casner, Duo and Original Performance member and junior, said. “I fell right back into it, but there are some kids who are really nervous about getting back into it.”
Munster hosted the Tournament of Champions competition Dec. 11. Teams had the opportunity to earn bids to qualify them to compete in the National Tournament of Champions in April.
“I think the tournament will give us more time to practice and prepare as well as some good critiques from judges,” Katherine Sheehan, Duo and Original Performance member and junior, said. “Any chance to rehearse and better your performance will help in preparation for State and Districts, so repetition and exposure to new advice and pointers from judges or other students (help us prepare). The hard work (we put in) isn’t always exciting, but I know that it will pay off in the end.”
Speech participated in the anticipated Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament Nov. 20-22. Tournaments such as these give the team practice and a grasp of national level competitions and State. Anna Raycroft, vice president and junior, finaled and placed fourth in the tournament.
“I feel incredibly happy with my placement, it is a very hard tournament to do well at and I felt like my hard work these past few years has paid off,” Anna said. “I had a blast and it was really nice to have that support from the team.”
Last year, both the Speech and Debate teams won first place at State. Speech remains firm in its goal to do the same this year with an intent to go beyond and additionally qualify for Nationals.
“(Placing first at State) was wonderful and we’d all like for that to happen again,” Katherine said. “The hard work (we put in) isn’t always exciting, but I know that it will pay off in the end.”
