As many other sports and activities start to get rolling for the winter season, so does the Speech Team. While it is still early in their season, they have had three tournaments so far with a lot of success. On the 20th the team competed in the Richwoods tournament where they had seven Varsity Finalists, four JV Finalists, and as a team they placed 5th overall. These early successes show just how great of a season they are likely to have.

Last year the team had to compete online due to Covid, most speeches being pre-filmed, and a few being held live via Zoom. Julia Collins, a Sophomore this year but a Freshman last year when this strange season took place made note on how dramatically different it has been this year compared to last. She said she “enjoys the in-person tournaments a lot more, because of the opportunity to speak for an audience and meet different competitors from schools around the state.” Julia’s favorite part of competing is being able to engage with her audience and being able to convey her emotion to them, something not possible over video or zoom.

For many sophomores like Julia, this season seems strange and new, but for those juniors and seniors who experienced a season pre-covid, it just feels good to get back into how things are supposed to be. The team this year sure shows a lot of promise across each grade level, hopefully signifying a successful season for everyone involved. Keep a look out as the team continues to compete in tournaments to build up their skills to be able to qualify for State.