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Poland Speech successful at state Tournament
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .After a successful weekend at the March 5 state speech tournament in Toledo, the Poland Speech and Debate Team had a lot to smile about. Celebrating the team's victories were, from left, Lidia Mowad (front), Jayne Catlos, Katie Slaven, Molly Porter, Paul Alberty, and Dan Duran (back), Britta Carson, Colin Rody, Demetrios Constantine, Jake Courtney, Panayiotis Constantine, Mitch Thompson, and Matt Cowles.
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The big winners on the Poland Speech and Debate team took home prizes in public forum debate and humorous interpretation. The national finalists were, from left, Katie Slaven (front), Molly Porter, Panayiotis Constantine (back), Demetrios Constantine, and Jake Courtney. Porter and Slaven won second place in public forum debate, while Courtney and Panayiotis Constantine placed in the top 16. Demetrios Constantine placed in the top 24 in humorous interpretation.
By SARAH FOOR
The weekend of March 5 was a good one for the Poland speech and debate team. After many long rounds at the Ohio High School Speech League State Tournament at Toledo Whitmer, five Poland students emerged as big winners.
After the busy weekend, Poland speech coach Jodi West said the key to the team’s success was its constant support of each other.
“This year, our team consists of mostly seniors and freshman, and our seniors completely took the younger kids under their wing. Our seniors are driven and insistent, and they haven’t been resting until they found the perfect pieces for each performer, finding extra time to practice, and always pushing us to be better. It’s an incredibly friendly and supportive year, and it shows in our success,” West said of the team.
The team of Molly Porter and Katie Slaven took second place in Public Forum Debate and Jake Courtney and Panayiotis Constantine also qualified as top 16 finalists in the same event.
Qualifier Demetrios Constantine nabbed a spot as a top 24 finalist in Humorous Interpretation.
“Our strength is definitely in public forum debate this year,” reflected West. “They’ve been the leadership, and it’s reflected on the other students in the other events.”
As for the national qualifiers, their plan is to keep it fun until they arrive in Dallas for nationals June 13-18.
“I plan to get a lot of sleep,” Jake Courtney said of his plans, with a laugh.
“Never get stressed,” said Slaven.
“We always keep it fun. The day the stress takes over is the day you start to do badly,” Porter agreed.
“It’s a deceptively simple plan,” West said of their preparations. “We’re just practicing hard and working to keep this team dynamic until June.”