Coaches Share Final Advice as Nationals Begins
by Corey Alderdice, SpeechGeek
Groups of students milled about Oak Park High School this morning to the point even a casual observer could tell that many of the individuals gathered there for the first day of competition at the 2010 National Forensic League National Tournament were nervous.
Very nervous.
As the moments wound down before the first draw of Extemp and rounds in Original Oratory, coaches pulled students aside to whisper final words of encouragement. For individuals who spend several weekends out of the year at high school speech and debate tournaments, the scene was fairly ordinary: a typical high school, students dressed in suits and brightly-colored schematics already showing signs of wear.
Among the crowd was Michael Curry, a coach from Salem, Ore. Like other coaches, though, Curry knew all-too-well that this was no ordinary weekend tournament. However, the advice he offered to his students was quite basic: though these young adults are competing in the world’s largest academic contest, they shouldn’t let that fact overwhelm them.
“I try and get in the mindset of that it’s going to look and feel like other tournaments,” Curry said.
The landscape came as no surprise to Curry. The scene of a regular tournament was exactly what he wanted his students to see as well.
“The first thing I want and try to get to the students is that even though it’s Nationals, it’s not foreign,” Curry said. “It’s not something to be intimidated by either. You’re going to see students from all walks of life and various levels of ability. It’s going to operate like any other tournament. The difference is going to be we fly there.”
For Todd Mincks, an assistant coach from Nixon, Mo., it wasn’t the tournament or its scope that mattered when offering encouragement. Instead, he encouraged the members of his squad to simply do what they’ve been doing all season.
“They’ve already proven themselves to be one of the best at what they do.,” Mincks said. “They should go in, relax and do their best and not stress overly about it.”
Renee Botterbush, a coach from Sayre, Penn., noted there was little new advice to be offered. Alternatively, she opted for simple encouragement and taking pride in the fact her students were ready to compete after months of hard work.
Botterbush said they should “do their best and they’ve got this. They’ve been practicing for the whole year so they’re prepared.”
Pam Carnes, a parent from Woodstock, GA, felt her daughter was ready to compete based on her experiences in a variety of regular season tournaments. Participating in a combination of small, local tournaments and national events such as competitions at Emory and Harvard provided her with confidence and comfort as the first round of Nationals began.
“Even though being in a high school cafeteria seems like we’re at home,” Carnes noted, “the numbers here equate to tournaments she’s accustomed to at the larger tournaments. A tournament at home could be a dozen to two dozen students where at Harvard this year there was about 300 in OO (Original Oratory).”
Carnes also views this year’s national tournament as a learning opportunity for her daughter, who will enter her junior year of high school this year. While other students will compete at their final forensics tournament this week, the younger Carnes can apply what she learns toward future seasons.
“She has two more years to do this, so she just needs to go in and give it her best shot and just know that she worked hard to get here and she’s already accomplished more than many students her age,” Carnes added.
Though students will learn from their competition experience, Curry added students should have fun and realize that the honor to compete at Nationals is something special.
“This is an opportunity that not everyone gets in an event that thousands upon thousands upon thousands of student do,” Curry noted. “You gotta have fun. If you spent all the time and work and came here and didn’t have a good time then you don’t walk away with good memories. That’s probably the most important thing. As an educator, my job is to help prepare students for the next step. So I want each thing I do with them to be rewarding on multiple levels. Make connections. Meet friends.”
Coaches like Mincks also appreciate that the experiences gained from participation in forensics will serve students long after the final trophy is handed out at the awards ceremony on Friday evening.
“We all know in this business that this is one of the most applicable activities to the real world that a kid can get involved,” Mincks added. “I hope they can continue to learn what they’ve already been exposed to throughout the years. Public speaking can be a great tool in life.”
That’s certainly advice worth sharing.