Four years ago, I joined my high school’s speech and debate team. I had my successes, made more friends than I thought possible and truly became part of a family. The program legitimately changed my life and has genuinely made me the person I am today.
Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position to coach for the same program—the Columbiana High School speech team.
While I have only been coaching for two years, I have come to realize just how much time must be devoted to the program—from both the coaches and the team members themselves. But even though it does require so much work, time and effort from both parties, I have never had a more rewarding experience in my life.
As I mentioned previously, speech changed my life. I developed confidence in both myself as a person and as a speaker. I was able to further develop my writing skills and my passion for the craft, and I was able to find my voice—pun intended.
A life-changing experience all over the course of just senior year. It went by entirely too fast, but I now have the opportunity to help current students find their own confidence and speaking skills, all while helping them become comfortable in their own skin, too.
The speech team at Columbiana is a family through and through. But we also perform like a well-oiled machine: All five coaches working in synchronization, and all of the students supporting one another through the ups and downs (speech pun intended).
I take great pride in my position as a coach, and our students’ success and growth continues to amaze me each year.
This week, the Columbiana High School speech team will be traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the National Speech and Debate tournament. Our students will be competing with students from all over the country. Through the strength of our coaches and the dedication of our students, we are very grateful to be taking 9(!) competitors to the tournament this year, when, typically, a team is fortunate to produce 2-4 national qualifiers.
But as much as I want to see all of our students succeed at #Nats16, the trophies and awards do not define my pride for this team.
It is the continued dedication by the coaches, the hard work by the students, and the coming together as a family that makes me proud to say that I am a coach for the Columbiana speech team. Every member of the team wants to see each other succeed and become the best version of themselves —we cry together, rejoice together, learn together and win together.
Now, admittedly, I cannot put into words how much this team and the program itself means to me. But every once in a while it pays to remind myself about what I am most thankful for in my life.
And so, with that in mind, I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am to be traveling to Salt Lake City this week. Nationals is truly an experience you must see to believe, and we couldn’t ask to be taking a better group students (and their parents, too). Nats is always a time where the team grows closer to one another than ever before, and I am very grateful to be a part of that.
Speech has helped me become who I am today, and it helped me embrace every weird, quirky and unique aspect of myself. I wouldn’t trade my time with this team for anything, and I cannot wait to see where this team goes in the future.
But until then, its time to kick some butt at #Nats16!
Be original, be hysterical, be dramatic, speak extemporaneously and be storytellers.
1…2…3… Dare to Dream…BEYAH!
