Speech team continues drive to nationals
October 27, 2005
By Lesa Beals
KOKOMO, Ind.—Six members of the Indiana University Kokomo Speech Team took events at the 36th Annual Age of Aquarius speech and debate competition October 21 and 22 at Ball State University. It was IU Kokomo's second tournament of the semester, with two team members competing in an event for the first time.
Chad Andrews, Joshua Sommers, and Grace Keith qualified at Age of Aquarius to take their individual competition pieces to the National Forensic Association Championship Tournament in April 2006.
Chad Andrews, a sophomore from Sharpsville majoring in English, placed sixth in Extemporaneous Speaking. This is the second event in which Andrews will compete at nationals. He and Joshua Sommers qualified October 8 with their Duo performance piece, “Your Mother's Butt.” Asked about his favorite part of competing, Andrews responded, “The people in the circuit. You begin to see familiar faces, and it's like a weekend reunion of friends.”
Sommers, a freshman from Kokomo majoring in communication arts, earned an award and a second national qualification at Ball State with his individual Dramatic Interpretation of “Jack the Ripper.”
Grace Keith, a freshman from Kokomo majoring in General Studies, grabbed her place at the national tournament with her Dramatic Interpretation piece. “I know what I need to work on for the next competition,” said Keith. She said she is very hard on herself, and reviewed the judges' ballots closely to know how she could improve her presentation.
The two-day tournament hosted many serious competitors. Butler, Central Michigan, IUPUI, Northwestern, Wayne State, and Western Kentucky are some of the 26 universities that participated. Kent State University took the team sweepstakes award while Ashley Bardor from Western Kentucky took the individual sweeps.
When asked how Coach Howell will focus the team over the next five months until the national tournament, she remarked, “We'll keep the momentum by continuing to qualify new events to nationals. It is an ongoing process. By the end of the year, we want the entire squad to compete at nationals.”
If you are interested in watching the team practice or wish to support the IU Kokomo Speech Team, contact Coach Jaime Howell at (765) 455-9558 or jlhowell@iuk.edu .
From left, Joshua Sommers, Grace Keith, and Chad Andrews
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