The Athenian Speech Team had a standout performance at the Golden Gate Speech Association State Qualifying tournament this weekend in Union City.  Over 30 schools and 300 students participated, including three from Athenian.  This is a varsity event and schools send only their top competitors.

In Varsity Original Oratory, sophomore Kelia H. competed in three rounds, earning second and third place ballots from judges who praised both her oratorical skills and the content of her originally prepared speech entitled “The Golden Ticket,” an analysis of the proper role of homework in America.

In Varsity Impromptu, sophomore Blake D., competing in only his second tournament, earned both a first and second place ballot  among his many high rankings from the judges.  Blake completed three rounds and performed admirably in what was a stiff field of many competitors.

Finally, sophomore Carl Fredrik B. came within a hair’s width of making the state championships in Varsity Impromptu.  He was among the 13 students out of a field of 42 who made it to the final round of the tournament. Carl walked away with his third trophy in three tournaments, having made the finals in each and every tournament to date!

These three students have practiced regularly throughout the year and their efforts continue to pay dividends.

–Craig Broscow, Speech and Debate Coach

Speech and Debate at Athenian

Founded by a student many years ago, the Speech and Debate team persists as an active club, led by dedicated students who meet regularly to practice and train with the support of a debate coach.

Athenian’s Speech and Debate team is part of the Golden Gate Speech Association, a regional branch of the California High School Speech Association. Students can participate in a variety of events, listed below from the CHSSA curriculum website.

Original Events – Click here for descriptions

• Original Oratory (OO)
• Original Advocacy (OA)
• Expository (Expos)
• Original Prose and Poetry (OPP)

Interpretative Events – Click here for descriptions

• Humorous Interpretation (HI)
• Dramatic Interpretation (DI)
• Thematic Interpretation (TI)
• Oratorical Interpretation (OI)
• DUO Interpretation (DUO)

Spontaneous Events – Click here for descriptions 

• Impromptu (IMP)
• National Extemporaneous (NX)
• International Extemporaneous (IX)

Debate Events – Click here for descriptions

• Policy Debate (CX)
• Lincoln Douglas Debate (LD)
• Parliamentary Debate (Parli)
• Public Forum (PuFo) – For Students

Original Oratory – The student will present an original speech. The subjects vary considerably; but, regardless of the topic, the student’s aim is to arouse and persuade. Any appropriate subject may be used, but the contestant must be truthful. Non-factual references, especially personal experiences, must be identified as such. No more than 150 directly quoted words are permitted. The speech must be memorized and delivered extemporaneously. No visual aids are allowed. NOTE: A solution is not required. The maximum speaking time is 10 minutes.

Impromptu – The contestants will enter the room one at a time and draw a slip of paper from the judge. On the slip will be three topic choices (concrete noun, abstract noun, current event or quotation). The contestant must choose one of the three. After drawing, the contestant has TWO minutes to prepare prior to speaking. The maximum time for the speech is FIVE minutes. There is no minimum time, and time signals should be given to the contestant. Stress is placed on the ability to marshal a variety of ideas on one subject in an organized, focused manner.