Proud Papa

I'm feeling rather proud of my daughter, Veronica, this week. She is the first female from her high school to qualify for the Illinois State Speech Tournament in the Humorous Duet Acting event. She and her partner, Jake, who has qualified the previous two years with a male duet partner, have had good success this year winning several tournaments. The Freeport team has once again done the school proud. Two years ago they sent six individuals or duets to state. Last year they were in nine events at state. This year there are seven individuals in eight events. Three of the team members are in two events each.

This is quite an accomplishment as they are currently ranked ninth in the state based on team strength. They join traditional powerhouse teams such as Wheaton North, Downers Grove South, DeKalb, and others. They are one of nine teams to have participants in at least eight events for the state tournament.

It has been a fascinating year to watch and attend the tournaments. These young men and women have shown tremendous growth not only in their presentations, but in their leadership skills and their personal demeanor. They carry themselves with a sense of self-confidence, knowing that they have excellent communication skills. This is a necessity in today's economic climate. It is imperative to be able to communicate well to succeed in college, grad schools, and in business. These students will have a distinct advantage.

We are looking forward to attending the state tournament in Rock Island, Illinois this weekend. Our daughter, who is competing in the dichotomous events, Humorous Duet Acting and Dramatic Duet Acting, will be one of the participants, but we will be there to root for our home team, as well as members of other teams in Northwest Illinois, including Eastland-Pearl City.

It is difficult not to cheer on all of these students, approximately eighteen individuals or duos, for each event. Some sectional events had ties, so that one or two additional students may be in an event. They have been honing their skills throughout the past several months and now it is their turn to shine.

To follow the tournament results, go to espeech.net. Best of luck to all of the students that qualified for state, but we'll be cheering on our home team of Freeport. Go Pretzels!