Speech Team Braves Cold in First Meet
After postponing the first regularly scheduled meet of the season, the Pierce speech team headed to Boone Central for their first competition of the season. Having only held five practices in the new year, again due to weather, the team was hopeful for any medalists.
Because of the harsh cold conditions, the Boone Central meet was pushed back to start two hours late and run a modified two rounds only schedule.
“With all the weather delays it felt good to finally be able to compete,” head coach Amy Nelson mentions. “I knew it was going to be rough with so few practices, but I was mostly looking forward to getting feedback from other judges, and for our many new members to see what a real tournament looked like.”
Emma Risinger, a senior captain for the speech team, finished third in persuasive speaking and fourth in extemporaneous speaking.
Sophomore Mya Johnson finished fourth with her program oral interpretation (POI).
While the speech team does have 12 returning letterwinners, not all were at the speech meet this week, as team members also were in robotics, wrestling, and basketball.
Nelson went on to say, “We are a very young team this year, so there are many areas to grow in. Our JV team did very well for their first meet, now I'm looking for our varsity team to take ownership and step up in their events.”
The junior varsity team, which for this meet was first year speakers only, did manage to claim third place in the final jv team sweepstakes.
Having an outstanding debut as a Pierce High speaker was freshman Josie Painter, who claimed first place in JV extemporaneous speaking. Also placing in the same event was Chelsey Ottis, who finished third.
“Going to my first speech meet helped me to get out my nervous jitters and showed me I could do well,” Painter says. “Overall it was a big confidence booster and I'm looking forward to our next meet.”
In JV persuasive speaking, Trayton Christiansen finished second while Bailee Thelen claimed fourth.
Competing in JV serious prose, Ann Reeker earned third while Painter medaled again, this time garnering fourth.
Also claiming a third place medal was Jayna Prochaska in JV entertainment speaking.
The freshman duo interpretation, formerly known as duet acting, of Payton Ebmeier & Maya Johnson ended fourth.
Also competing at her first high school speech meet was Addison Frye who finished fifth in poetry, along with Spencer Sindt who claimed sixth in humorous prose.
The speech team makes their way to Hartington on Saturday, January 27.
The makeup date for the Pierce Speech Invite will now be Saturday, March 2, with an 8 a.m. start time.
