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   Last Friday and Saturday, seven speakers from the WHA Speech Team traveled down to Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park to compete in the MSHSL State Speech tournament. While this tournament is certainly the most important competition of the season, it operates just like any invitational tournament hosted throughout the season. The top 24 speakers in each category compete in three preliminary rounds of speaking. Then, the top 8 speakers advance into a final round of competition, where a panel of 5 judges determines the champion. The Walker team brought 7 speakers to the competition. Each speaker placed in the top 3 of their category at the section tournament to earn their place at state. By the end of the awards ceremony on Saturday evening, one Walker Speaker left with a 2nd place state medal. 

   The following speakers advanced to the state tournament, but did not break into a final round: Layla Krueckeberg placed 12th out of 24 speakers in the category of Poetry. Isaias Jimenez McMurrin placed 20th in the category of Oratory. Trevor Kuechle placed 16th in the category of Great Speeches. Elaina Dascalos placed 13th in the category of Prose. Zoe Cox placed 13th in the category of Drama. And Brooklyn Hanson placed 23rd in the category of Informative. 

   One speaker from the team advanced to the final round: Elijah Cox placed 2nd overall in the category of Prose. 

Now that Minnesota State season is at a close, it is important to acknowledge the members who will be graduating from the team this year. The Walker Talkers were blessed with two amazing seniors, who experienced vastly different speech careers. Brooklyn Hanson joined the speech team this year as a senior. And despite having never competed in the activity before, she immediately showed her prowess. It wasn’t long before she started earning ribbons and advancing to final rounds. And then, she ended the season with a subsection championship, 2nd place section award, and a state appearance. As a coach, I was so impressed by her natural talent and instincts for the activity. Additionally, Brooklyn earned her state appearance because she worked hard. She was never afraid to try something new, and she never came into practice and said, “I can’t.” She was constantly observing other speakers and coming up with new ideas for her performance. We would love to turn back the clock and recruit Brooklyn as a 7th grader, but what she contributed in her one year on the team made up for any lost time. Thank you, Brooklyn, for a wonderful season, and good luck! 

   In the exact opposite scenario, is our 6th season senior Elijah Cox. He started his speech career as a 7th grader performing to a screen in online speech tournaments while COVID was invading our country. While we all agreed this was no way to maintain a program, this speaker didn’t let this obstacle conclude his passion for this activity. He continued his journey in the category of prose, earning his first state medal as a freshman portraying the beloved, now deceased, actor, Val Killmer. He pressed on, earning another state medal and then qualifying for the National Speech and Debate tournament last year in Des Moines, IA. This year, he continued his season, earning four first-place medals that earned him a trip to the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions, and qualified for the second time for the National Speech and Debate Tournament held in Richmond, VA this June. While his next chapter has been blessed with the opportunity to play college football, we know the accomplishments he’s earned on this team will make him one of the most confident, humble, and skilled leaders of our next generation.

   While the Minnesota competitions have ended, a few members of the team will continue to compete in two more national tournaments. Elijah Cox and Elaina Dascalos will compete in Shakopee, MN at the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC) during the second week of May. Then, this June, Elijah Cox will be competing in the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Richmond, Virginia. And because of their performances at the NSDA qualifying tournament, Zoe Cox and Isaias Jimenez McMurrin have earned the opportunity to travel with Elijah to compete in supplemental categories at the national tournament. The Walker team would like to give a special thank you to the Walker American Legion for their generous donation that will contribute to these overnight trips. 

   Even though there are two more competitions left, the state speech tournament marks the end of the season for many. The WHA Speech team would like to thank everyone who made this season amazing. First, we would like to thank the Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School District. Our activity only exists because of the hard-working individuals who ensure that our team can compete. Thank you to the bus drivers, custodians, and administrators. We feel like we have endless support and opportunities within this district. Next, we would like to thank the community. We have had an endless outpouring of support this season, and it was perfectly punctuated as we left town for the state tournament when so many people were there to wish us luck. It was a special moment for the whole team, and we will never forget it. Next, we would like to thank the parents. Our talented speakers are a reflection of your success as their guardian. Thank you for providing so much for our speakers where we cannot. Finally, we would like to say thank you to every member of the team who came out and competed this year. It does not matter whether this was your first year or last year, or whether you earned a medal. You did something many people are afraid to do, and that in itself is an accomplishment. We are excited for your future, and we’ll see you next year! 

 

 

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