Journalism Student My name is Ciara Carbajal, this year I did Speech for the first time. I knew what it was and I had wanted to do it last year but I was too busy. I never thought I would be too good at it since none of the categories fit me, until I learned of poetry.
Poetry in speech is the splicing of poems and performance of that newly spliced poetry, you basically act out the poetry that you pieced together. It is meant to tell a story, some common themes are mental health, love, and death. Though they can get very unique as I have learned in my new experience, my fellow speechies, Claire Wellnitz and Hadley Banks, are doing poetry on girl issues and escaping reality.
Another speechie, Haley Dane, is doing humorous, a comedy skit from a script, and serious, a dramatic performance from a script. We’ve all placed at least once, I’ve gotten 4th and 3rd, I’m proud considering it is my first year. I am also very proud of my teammates. Getting to watch their speeches grow and polish out has been a fun adventure.
I have to also thank my new coaches, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs.
Rosfeld, they’ve both helped to shape my speech into what it is now, which is getting my finaled and placed. They’re also pushy about practice which is good since the more practice the better.
The coaches are both very fun but serious, they make it a comfortable environment to be in and make it easier performing.
Well, kind of, I get really giggly in front of them.
Starting was kind of rough, I didn’t have a topic and I didn’t know where to start. I was so lost but first I had to choose what I even wanted to talk about. I went with a bit of a morbid and unique topic, Cannibalism. I had wanted to do something related to zombies at first because I thought it would be fun to act like a zombie: however, I changed since I already knew a lot of songs that were somewhat related to cannibalism or a very intense love that could be interpreted that way.
I felt nervous with Cannibalism being my topic, but excited, my coaches thought so as well. I took awhile to complete it to a rough draft but finished it just barely before my first meet, which was an entire experience within itself. I had fun, just a lot of down time since I was only in one event, poetry. The judges liked it and so did many of my competitors.
It made me confident and more willing to work on it to be as creepy and weird as I could. It has evolved into a very interesting performance since. Many call it a transformation that I just switch into, it also has been called disturbing and skincrawling which is my purpose. So cheers to that! It still needs work but working on it has become easier now that I’ve got a hang of how this thing is supposed to go.
Public speaking is such an important skill to have, I still get anxiety performing and being in front of people doing such an intense speech, but speech has made it easier and a lot more fun.
I have gotten to meet so many other cool, like-minded people and learn alongside them. Speech, I believe, has improved my public speaking and other skills. This new exposure has been very good to all four speech members. It has and is continuing to be such an exciting and enjoyable experience, I’m saddened as a senior that this has been my only and final year.
I suggest everyone who can, give speech a try. You never know if you’ll like it or find a new interest in something.
There are so many categories to write for or memorize for, there are even group categories and those are so amusing to all included, especially the audience.
I’m grateful to have gotten to do it this year, wishing much luck to all future speechies or others interested! Try new things, it could become your