Posted by Brennan Morris,FGLDS President
This year, from May 24-26, CFL Nationals were held in the most magical and spectacular place on Earth: Appleton Wisconsin. The Catholic Forensics League Grand National Tournament was quiet a show amongst the cows and corn, and for the Randolph-Macon Speech and Debate Team we would have plenty of stars.
The road to this tournament was not easy, especially for our delightful hordes of novice competitors. The journey Begins in WACFL, the Washington-Arlington Catholic Forensics League, which hosts tournaments every weekend. Those who place in there events earn a bid to WACLF-Metro’s, which is like the state tournament. There, students must rank in the top six of the event to qualify for nationals. With very tough programs from schools like Walt Whitman and Sherando, novice competitors must fight hard and give it there all to excel. Fortunately a good number were able to make it.
I myself, though not a novice at this point, placed rather well in my events; First place in Original Oratory, and Second in Extemp (though in all fairness I really should have won, or so the winner told me.) Evan Pionkowski, a vibrant new Interper qualified in Oral Interpretation of Literature. John Holsinger, Valerie Pratt, and Will Dungan Qualified in Extemp, while April and Max took second and first, respectively, in declamation. So, we were set to head off to beautiful Wisconsin. The land of cheese and burly Packer fans.
The team picked up several alumni who would be helping out with the trip. David Tuck, now a senior at George Mason University was all to happy to help out, stating, “It’s really good to see the program still going strong. It did so much for me.” Back in his day, David had been a CFL National Finalist in Dramatic Performance. Also along for the ride was Bo Snitchler and James Taafle, who now attend Dickinson University. Bo had made it to Quarter-Finals in 2006, and James was the first R-MA competitor to break, and advance to Semi-Finals, back in 2003... setting the stage for R-MA breaking every year at CFL in Extemp. In addition to the lads, Tabi Allen also joined the caravan, she had been the first novice ever to break at CFL Nationals, all the way back in her Sophomore year.
Yet, it would be a long drive from Virginia to Wisconsin, on the “Interesting” R-MA bus; hardly the most comfortable arrangements, but never a dull moment. Yet, I was saved by the AP Exam, which had to be administered in the morning, and then I flew out to Wisconsin on a plane that went fast and did not take two days of driving. Can’t go wrong with that. Yet, when I was picked up by my compadres in Milwaukee we were all re-united.
The final destination was a hotel outside of Green Bay that made the journey to the CFL competition sites rather nominal. We had diner at a local diner, brimming with that Midwestern charm, and then headed back to the hotel to sleep.
The next day was a preparation day. After a hearty all American breakfast of Eggs, Bacon, and biscuits, we began practice rounds. The Alumni were satisfied by what they saw, Bo had this to say, “These kids are very competitive, being in college can make you forget how serious high school competitors can be." I also received good reviews, though Tabi was taken aback by my Old Sparky the electric chair joke in an extemp speech. But, its all in good fun. After working we went to register at the tournaments site, which was achieved with minimal heart ache. Then came the real treat.
When we were driving back to hotel through the “shining metropolis” of Hortonville, we spotted a little drive in restaurant that looked like an anachronism strait out of the 1960s. We pulled in and placed our orders with a young woman on roller skates, and then saw the coolest thing ever: the cook. The cook, who was also the owner, did all of his business dressed up like Elvis. Now we knew we were in Wisconsin.
After those greasy Elvis burgers and home-brewed root beer, and a short ride back to the Hotel, we all spent the rest of the night relaxing and clearing our heads. Appleton might not have been the most glamorous place CFLs had ever been hosted, and some were longing for the vast Houston mall complex that conducted the tournament the year before, but the gravitas of this competition was no less significant than that of its more favorably located predecessors. Many kids had wanted to come to this competition from all over the country, and due to various circumstances, were not able to; we all knew that we were fortunate and must make the most of this opportunity. Of course, for teenagers, its not easy to bear total focus nor could any of us retain a peak level of comprehension, yet despite the inner nature of all people that pulls us into the desire for relaxed guard, the team understood the need to rise above the trite ebb and flow of immediate surroundings. This is competition, this is what we do, and it is a time like this which inspires the deeper, admirable tenets of human nature, and hauls to the surface the drive, determination, and whole gutted willingness to perceiver beyond the ordinary day to day mandates of our lives.
So, the next day the alarms buzzed, the showers spurted, the coffee percolated, and all the pieces that go into a great tournament began to fall into place. It was not too long before the competitors and alumni began to trickle into the lobby and converse about the coming day. “I am excited,” said Will Dungan, “I am happy to be here and I hope I can do well.” The newbies like Will had no idea what to expect beyond what the returners had told them. Then, when Mr. Gregg arrived we all loaded the bus and stocked up on waters, snack bars, and Red Bull. After the roll call, we were off.
The competition was to be held on several different campuses, with the extempers going to vast High School, and the declamation…ers, heading to the rather modern middle school. The first day tends to run rather smoothly, and this tournament was no exception, since all the rounds are preset and most components work effectively. There were a fair share of dents in the schedule but for our team all rounds were attended, and nobody vomited, or swore in the judge lounge. Things were off to a good start. The initial day of competition had all four preliminary rounds, thus the reason why CFLs is somewhat of a crapshoot. One bad day, one bad round, one misplaced joke about Michael Jackson and any chance of breaking can vanish. So, after the tough first day, and another stop at the Elvis drive through, the team headed back to the Hotel in good spirits but even though the kids knew what they were up against nobody knew what to expect.
All competitors take this limbo period differently. For some it’s a walk in the part, and are just happy the hard part is over. Everyone wants to do well but not everyone is wringing their hands over it. Then there are people such as, me. Ha! Its worth noting that for many tournaments are the ultimate emotional roller coaster. Naturally, this is not my life, nor the end all be all of human value, I can keep things in perspective like most competitors. Yet, this Limbo period can be down right painful as we wait to see the results. I have always found stairways and dark rooms to be ideal coping mechanisms. I know what it is like to break and what it is like to fail, but the most distress lies in waiting to see which way the winds will blow.
Then, later in the evening, there was good news. Three of us had made it to outrounds, myself and our two declamation competitors. Others were disappointed to some extent but even making it to nationals, and having this great opportunity was enough. So, those who broke rushed to get to sleep.
The next morning the three of us set off to the Fox Valley Technical College where the competition was being held for the later rounds. I made my way into the Extemp prep room and John Holsinger brought me a much needed water. Meanwhile, Max and April entered their Declamation rounds, and all the non-breakers and alumni pursued various ends around the bus. In my Octa-final round I spoke on the issue of Jeremiah Wright's comments, and what they tell us about Barack Obama. I worked hard to be fair in this speech, it seems as though there has been so much political spin the facts have been lost. It worked and I advanced quarter-finals. As for the Declamation competitors they were giving it there all. April was passionate in her Malcolm X speech, and Max was as funny as ever in his rendition of Stephan Colbert’s Press Club speech. Despite her hard work, and obvious talent, April was not able to advance. Though a freshman novice breaking at CFLs is a great accomplishment. Also, its very hard for first-time breakers to move on multiple times. But, Max got the nod and also advanced to Quarters.
There was not much of a wait, and before too long I was giving my two cents on the problems with a national primary system, though my quarter-finals speech was hardly my best. I had very solid analysis but several stumbles in the intro and near the end. As for Max, he was still hitting the nail on the head only now he had a bigger, more impressive audience. In the end, my analysis and humor pulled me through, and Max was still in the game as well. We were headed to Semis. After our rounds, and before the next kick off, we returned to the bus and ate the sandwiches Will and John brought us. Its always important for team members to help our their associates.
Max’s Semi-final round was still solid and the huge audience loved it. As for me, I was back on my game as I answered the Longest Extemp question ever. It read, “Should the United States have taken more direct action to help the victims of cyclone Nargis in Myanmar even if the Myanmar government considered such action an affront to its national sovereignty and thus a hostile geopolitical venture?” And, that was the best of three options. Though long and tedious, its not impossible to answer by any means. The key is to focus on US influence over Myanmar’s neighbors, which in tern have huge sway over Myanmar itself based on the regions economic ties. It worked, and I made it to finals. Yet, this round was problematic for Max. Though his delivery was solid he encountered a different kind of judge pool who felt that his comic speech lacked a guiding undertone, or meaning. Thus, Max was not able to compete in finals but in a different room, with different judges he could have made it. A lot of things just depend on the room.
It's really strange making it to finals. At this tournament I was now in the top six of 280 on site. Yet, when factoring in the thousands who did not qualify its even more of a big deal. What I said before about luck of the room and draw still holds true. I noticed as the rounds progressed, people with huge talent and inspiring prowess drop in lower outrounds. It could have been one of the three judges, who “just didn’t like it,” or maybe a question for which they were particularly unsuited, or perhaps they just didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Thus, the pervading feeling of making it to the final round of the national tournament, where so few have ever been before, is a feeling of gratitude. There were perhaps twenty or more competitors that had a serious shot at finals, and because of talent, hard work, and a unique, fleeting set of circumstances I got my chance.
At this point its really all fun. A finalist knows they’re doing something right, and now it doesn’t matter so much what the exact placement is; top six is top six. The final round question was hardly a nail-biter, “Will trends in petroleum prices increase investment in research and development in alternative and transition energy sources?” Somewhat verbose but still conventional. I said yes, and was noted for a good sense of humor in the round, which was held in a mid-seized classroom filled with roughly 100 people, and now radiating a temperature of roughly 95 degrees. Not glamorous, but the audience made it fun.
After I got out of the round we were able to move extemp boxes and then went out to diner at a very nice restaurant on Mr. Gregg's tab before awards. I talked to David Tuck about his national final round experience and Mr. Gregg about NFLs in a few weeks. Yet, before too long we left for the ceremony which was held in a vast theatre. All the lights were finely tuned and the bright, gleaming trophies were arranged.
I hate awards. I really, really hate those ceremonies. I get killed with nervousness, but the rest of the team was in good spirits, so it all works itself out. Max received his award on stage, and April got a standing ovation along with the other Octa-Finalists. As for me, I went onto the stage, and stood there with the others as they presented each quarter and semi finalist with their trophy and read off their names. Its great when they get down to just the finalists; a nice feeling of achievement. When all was said and done, and all the ranks for the entire tournament had been counted, I placed Fourth. The killer had come in finals. It was similar to TOCs; a crowed pleasing speech, loved by the audience, but frustrating to the conventional sensibilities of the judges. Though with fourth I can’t complain.
The next day we left for Virginia, and things were fairly ordinary from then on out. It is said that the most relevant factor in competition is having fun. This is true, and we all were able to achieve in camaraderie, exploration, and the acceptance of a new and bold frontier. Despite this, the stress and strain that comes with nationals or even just competition in general should not be underestimated, its tough, and things can be brutal. But, the value of tournaments rests in more than the trophies or the moments of fun. The importance of events like these rests in the proof possibilities, and in the inspiration to forge on to new planes of greatness. Every rise to excellence in life must start somewhere. For us it begins in Speech and Debate, and that is what really counts. For me, and more importantly, those competitors who will follow.
Pictures can be found at:
http://www.pbase.com/fglds/cflnationals
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