Fifteen qualify for section speech
The emotion was raw, as if it was for real. Tears had to be brushed off the face after watching Natalie Bot and Tara Thooft perform their Duo Interpretation of two girls, who grieving over her sisters death — and the other, the dead sister, appearing almost real.
As Thooft and Bot worked through the scenario of a sister who died in a car vehicle accident, they created a line between “what is real,” and “am I going crazy?”
The performance was so startling, it had the audience on the edge of their seat. Not all speeches elicit this kind of emotion — but they all have a goal — all take preparation and all must be delivered without a hitch.
Bot and Thooft didn’t take first place — they finished second in the Sub-Section Speech Tournament in Minneota on Saturday. The top four in each category advance and fifth and sixth place are alternates. But they will move on to Sections Thursday at Tracy High School — along with 14 other Minneota speech participants.
“We have 15 team members moving on to sections next week,” said Coach Kim Gades.
Minneota was the host to Subsection 11 with five teams and over 100 competitors. Murray County central won the team event with Minneota second. Team scores were:
1. Murray County Central 109; Minneota 67; 2. Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 54; 4. Pipestone Area 33; 5. Westbrook-Walnut Grove 9.
The top four finishers in each event move on to sections.
Capturing first place honors for Minneota were: Brenden Kimpe, Jacob Haen and Sean Dilley.
Minneota qualifiers include:
•Creative Expression: Cecilia Rabaey, second.
•Discussion: Trevor Belaen, second.
•Dramatic Interpretation: Morgen Wersal, fifth.
•Duo Interpretation: Tara Thooft and Natalie Bot, second.
•Extemporaneous Reading: Cora Engels, fourth.
•Extemporaneous Speaking: Brenden Kimpe, first.
•Great Speeches: Sarah Engels, second.
•Humourous Interpretation: Jacob Haen, first; Teagan Welsh, fourth.
•Informative Speaking: Sean Dilley, first; Rachel Engels, third.
•Original Oratory: Alyssa Engels, second; Autumn Dovre, fourth.
•Poetry Reading: None.
•Prose: Cole Bot, second; Ben Engels, sixth.
•Storytelling: Zoe DeBoer, fourth. In addition to Gades, the team is coached by Amanda Engels, who doubled in so many other areas to help put on the tournament.
“I want to thank all the Speech Team members for all their hard work throughout the season and with helping with not one, not two, but THREE tournaments this year,” said Gades.