The Weatherford High School and Weatherford Middle School participated in a virtual speech and debate tournament last weekend hosted by Muskogee Public Schools.
“Virtual competition this semester requires the team to record speeches on video and submit vie TabRoom,” Ashby de le Plaine, WHS speech and debate coach, said. “Judges receive different categories to view then rate. For example, I judged 5A Humorous Duet, a category where Weatherford did not compete this round.”
De la Plaine said virtual competition does give competitors a slight advantage as they can continue recording until they get it right. However, it also lacks the energy which comes from live competition and speaking in front of a group.
The two schools have a total of five students place in the Top 3 in their categories with Izzy O’Bleness, a freshman, placing first in Dramatic Interpretation in the 5A division.
O’Bleness along with WHS students Jeston Laney, second place Humorous Interpretation; Gavin Bryan, third place Humorous Interpretation; and Maci Gateley, third place Standard Oratory; qualified for regionals.
WHS will compete again mid-December. In the meantime, students will continue to work on their current pieces and new competition pieces. One-Act competitions will begin next semester.
WMS student Katie Kriezenbeck placed second in Dramatic Interpretation, which is fantastic for the first competition of the season.
“Overall, this was great practice for us to see how it works now that it is online,” Carlyn Magness, the WMS speech and debate coach said.
The only “live” event in the virtual tournaments is the extemporaneous speeches, which are meant to be “off the cuff.” To accommodate this need, competitors give their speeches through Zoom. However, students did not compete in this category at the last tournament.
WMS, which competes in the Novice division, will not have any more tournaments until January. Magness said students will continue to work on getting their videos together, rehearsing speeches and working out any technical issues.
“I am sure there will be some kinks we will need to iron out,” Magness said. “Luckily, all of the middle school kids are eager to compete and they all adapt very well.”