On a dark November morning, the Norfolk High Speech Team piled into a van for the long ride to the Millard North Novice Speech Invitational, the first in-person speech tournament in over a year. Luke Ziemba, the Norfolk High Speech coach, was buzzing with excitement.
“Pandemic speech was all virtual, and our students never got the opportunity to perform for a live audience,” Coach Ziemba said. “Now, students will be able to perform in front of real people!”
On the early-morning drive to the tournament, some speech team members ran through lines while others chatted and reminisced about the previous virtual speech season. For Samantha (Sammie) Nava, a novice member of the team, the long drive offered her the opportunity to bond with her teammates. “My favorite thing about speech is actually traveling to tournaments with the team,” Sammie said. “It’s an amazing chance to get close with them.”
As the van neared the tournament, nerves began to rise. For weeks, the team had been preparing for the competition by writing, cutting, memorizing and practicing speeches. Now, it was time to see if their hard work had paid off. The vice president of the speech team, Pareena Ponniah, spoke encouraging words as the team prepared to enter the competition.
“Writing, memorizing, and performing a speech is challenging,” Pareena said. “The coaches and the rest of the team, however, are always here to support you!”
Throughout the competition, Norfolk High Speech Team members performed moving persuasive speeches and powerful dramatic scripts. For Elliette Mendivil Rodriquez, the tournament was a major success. At the awards ceremony, she learned she earned fifth in her speech event.
“Placing at my first tournament was a surreal feeling,” Elliette said. “I felt like all of my hard work had paid off, and my speech was headed in the right direction. There isn’t any other feeling like placing in a tournament.”
As Elliette made her way to the stage to accept her award, the entire speech team stood in applause. For one varsity member, Nishyia Ponniah, the moment represented the supportive nature of the team. “We always cheer for our teammates’ successes,” Nishyia said. “I love how encouraging the team is.”
“Everyone in speech is so supportive,” Elliette said after accepting her award. “They are amazing people that take time to know you inside and outside of speech. I am very thankful for all the relationships speech has brought me.”
On the drive back to Norfolk, Coach Ziemba congratulated the team on all of their hard work. “I am very proud of the whole team,” Coach Ziemba said. “I want each of you to succeed and feel welcomed on the team. I want you to know that student voices matter. I am looking forward to all of us having a great first year back in person, and earning some trophies and honors along the way!”
