Sixteen members of the Luverne Cardinal speech team competed in the Montevideo Invitational Saturday, March 12.
Taking home individual honors were Gunnar Oldre, second, Humorous Interpretation; Alexa Chesley, ribbon, Duo Interpretation; Knute Oldre, first, Discussion; Shelbie Nath, sixth, Creative Expression; Paul Witte III, second, Storytelling; Xavier Carbonneau, fourth, Storytelling; Derek Krueger, third, Great Speeches; Jonah Louwagie, ribbon, Storytelling; and Hannah Ehlers, ribbon, Duo Interpretation.
Ribbons were awarded to seventh-place participants.
The Speaking Cardinals have a big week ahead as they compete in the Big South Conference meet today in New Ulm and at SMSU in Marshall on Saturday, March 19.
Both of these meets are large with three rounds and a final and will provide great opportunities for important feedback as the team prepares for sub-section competition on March 29 in Adrian.
There are 13 categories with each falling into a genre or informing, influencing and entertaining audiences.
Following are explanations of three categories:
Duo Interpretation: This category features two speakers interpreting one or more scenes from a published selection of drama, prose or poetry. The content may be serious or humorous. An introduction to the piece is required and the use of scripts is optional. Eye contact and focus is to be only with the audience and not with the other speaker. There is a 10-minute time limit.
Creative Expression: This category, like Duo Interpretation, is an interpretation category. The contestant writes his/her own material. It may include information from other sources, but 80 percent must be original. The mood may be serious or humorous or a combination of both. A script is optional, and the time limit is 10 minutes.
Discussion: The contestant in this category participates in small group problem solving. The general topic is known prior to the season and contestants research accordingly. This year's topic is Sports in America: Has Our National Obsession Gone Too Far? The purpose and goal of the category is to help students learn critical thinking skills, what constitutes quality research, effective group communication and problem solving techniques. Discussion emphasizes that participants utilize consensus building to accomplish their goals. The time limit is 45-60 minutes.