On a recent rainy Saturday, the Montrose speech team went to their first official tournament. When we arrived at the high school, we saw a crowd of students in the cafeteria. First, we had to figure out our speaking code. When the many categories of speeches were posted on the walls, everyone in the caferica rushed to them, trying to find their code. The speech contest began.

      After I took a picture of my category’s schedule, I searched for my classroom and waited to do my piece. When it was my turn, my heart was speeding up, and I was afraid I would forget my pronunciation.  However, I still believed in myself, and I thought about our team, my piece, and my endeavour, which made me feel instantly confident. At the beginning, I spoke very well, and I performed my movements with emotion. But when I finished my introduction, everything became terrible. I started to get nervous again. I forgot to read the words which were right in front of me, forgot my movements, and even once got confused, because I misordered the lines. Finally, I finished the piece. It was a great experience because I had the courage to stand in front of a group of people and speak.

       My fellow team members also enjoyed it. When we finished our speeches and we were chatting, I asked how they felt about their pieces. Mostly, they said that they had fun, and that it was a great experience sharing their ideas with others. Furthermore, they got the chance to meet new people and make friends with other speakers. Besides, it was a good way to prepare for public speaking in the future.

      I cannot wait for the next tournament! I expect myself to become better and better, and hope I can learn from each tournament. Also, I am hopeful I will make it to finals one day!

Interested in joining speech team? We would love to have you! Contact Nora Cahill ‘19 or Anna Sheehan ‘21, our captains, or Ms. Chiodini, our coach. There are many meetings and tournaments remaining in the school year, and we’d love for you to join the team and participate!