Junior Olivia Hilliard and sophomore Pauline Dagaas put a lot of time and energy into speech and debate. Photo by: Lauren Rearick
By Lauren Rearick
The Plymouth High School Speech and Debate team has been hard at work this season, hoping to carry on the winning tradition established in past years.
For many team members, speech has served as a full-time job over the past few months. Between practicing, writing and competing, there is always something that needs to be done, and a lot of time is needed to get everything completed.
“I spend an average of 2-3 hours a week filing and reading magazine articles to become knowledgeable on current events, and I practice with my coaches 3-4 times a week,” sophomore Michaila Nate said. Freshman Tyler Wagner said that “if you want to be successful, you have to practice basically every day of the week.”
Although all speech and debate participants are seen as one team, members have the opportunity to participate in a variety of events, including humorous interpretation pieces, impromptu speaking, and original oratory in which students write their own speeches. “I participate in prose and scripted duo,” junior Olivia Hilliard said. Sophomore Pauline Dagaas, on the other hand, competes in declamation and original oratory.
No matter what event a person takes part in, however, nerves come into play during meets. “I do get nervous, and I usually can’t calm down until after the first round.” Wagner said. “After that, my nerves just seem to go away.” Nate agrees, saying “most of the time I do get a little nervous, but the best way to get rid of my nerves is listening to music with Rebecca Brumbaugh and Bryt Hiatt.”
While practice and hard work are certainly vital to the success of the speech and debate team, experienced team members as well as coaches help everyone perform to the best of their abilities. “My coaches, Mrs. Warren and Miss Barker, and some of the upperclassmen have helped me, “ Wagner said. Nate also owes much of her success to her teammates and coaches. “Without Mrs. Tyree, Mr. McKenzie, Ms. Faulstich, and the rest of our coaching staff, there is no way that I would be competing at the level I am today.” Nate also gives credit to fellow team members like junior Rebecca Brumbaugh and seniors Brytt Hiatt and Sean Hatfield.
Overall, members of the speech and debate team have found competing to be a rewarding experience, and it is something that they believe will help them later in life. Dagaas said “speech has helped me by boosting my confidence and helping me to understand what I am capable of.” Hilliard said she joined in order to learn skills that would benefit her future.
The skills learned from speech are ones that can be incorporated into every aspect of one’s life, which is one reason why Nate recommends joining the team to all PHS students. “I would definitely recommend speech to everyone at PHS. Speech not only gives you confidence and a better ability to speak in front of people, but it gives you a family as well. You will never find a team more supportive.”
The Speech team competed for the State title on Saturday, March 19. They narrowly missed first place after losing by one point in a tie-breaker with Munster High School.