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   While the Walker Talkers got to enjoy warmer weather this past Saturday morning, their leave time got a little earlier. At 5:30 a.m., the WHA Speech team loaded the bus to compete at the 65th Annual Denfeld Rotary Speech Tournament in Duluth, MN. This tournament marks the team’s transition out of early-season tournaments and into larger, more challenging, competitions. Denfeld Highschool hosted almost 600 speaking entries and over 30 schools. Every category was stacked with energetic competitors. And despite having a young and growing team, the Walker Talkers earned an honorable mention, placed three speakers in the final round, and left with a category champion. 

   In the category of Extemp. Speaking, Lola Krueckeberg earned an Honorable Mention. In the category of Drama, Zoe Cox placed 7th in the final round. In the category of Prose, Elaina Dascalos placed 5th in the final round. Finally, in the category of Prose, Elijah Cox placed 1st in the final round. 

   In the team sweepstakes, Cambridge-Isanti placed 1st overall, and Staples-Motley and Elk River placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. Additionally, the tournament awarded trophies to smaller teams. Of the mid-size teams, the team from Watertown placed 1st. Of the small teams, the team from Rockridge placed first. 

   This year, the Denfeld Rotary Tournament marked the end of an era. Tournament host, head coach, and long-time friend of the Walker Speech Team, Jill Lofald, announced her retirement from speech. Our speech team would like to extend our deepest gratitude and congratulations to Jill as she embarks on her next journey. Putting the Denfeld Tournament on the season schedule was never a question for the Walker Talkers. There is a reason we attend this tournament annually. Not only is the tournament well organized and competitive, but Jill never fails to remind everyone in attendance how important this activity is. She makes a point to acknowledge the seniors in their last season, the young speakers just starting, and the coaches who lift their speakers to success. We make a point to attend this tournament to show everyone on the team how special and impactful this activity is. Thank you, Jill, for all of your efforts. You have left your mark on our team. 

   With the speech season fully underway, the Walker Talkers have a busy schedule ahead of them. On Monday, the team competed at the Blackduck Jr. High meet, where 7-9th graders compete against each other while senior high students judge. Next week, the jr. high team will compete at the Cass Lake-Bena Jr. High tournament. This coming Saturday, the whole team will compete at the Hibbing Heartbreaker. 

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