Supikon
(short for speech contest)
In late fall, it was announced that there
was going to be a “speech contest.” When I heard “speech contest,” I thought it
would be an original speech that you did in front of everyone and you’d be
scored on content and presentation. I pondered about what I’d say. I could talk
about my experiences in my HS in Suburbia and compare it to my JHS here in
Pumpkin City and say something corny about international understanding and blow
everyone away. I’d been in Speech Honors in Suburbia, and I’d practiced with
the Speech Team. The other competitors would never know what hit them.
Except I found out that it wasn’t a speech
contest, it was a recitation contest. You recited a set part of the English
textbook (it was a simplified version of the second half of “The Merchant of
Venice.”) My interest waned instantaneously, but I was supposed to compete in
the “returnee” category. The returnees were allowed to edit the textbook, so I
made revisions so that I could include the whole story. I dragged out my “Complete
Works of William Shakespeare” and tossed in a few original lines I thought were
good (hey, no one else in the competition will use the word “perjury!”).
My English (non-) teacher was so pleased
with himself for having not one but three returnees to take with him to the
Pumpkin Prefecture competition. I wondered if I would find someone like myself.
Even the two other returnee kids from my school had Japanese accents. No one was
accent free, except for one girl from Buffalo. I hoped I would see her again in
HS, but I didn’t.
And yes, I won. Even the girl from Buffalo
didn’t have the presentation skills that a semester of Speech class and
watching your friends practice Dramatic Interpretation for speech team will
give you. They never knew what hit them.
3 comments:
Yeah, I cleaned up pretty well with speech team in Germany as well. Even got to go to London for finals (where I placed not at all). But I got to write my own material.
The fact that I was used to speech competition at all meant I got tapped to be valedictorian at graduation - despite the fact that I did not have the highest GPA. They didn't release our GPAs so I couldn't officially contest it, but I knew who did - it was a small school, after all. (He was named salutatorian.) They just wanted me to give the speech. I made it short and cynical.
Speech class (and speech team practice) are hands down the most useful learning experiences I had in Suburbia. In retrospect, I hated my teacher, but I guess it goes to prove you don't have to like a teacher for them to be good. It helps, but it's not necessary. Still super useful for presentations!
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