It is 6:15 a.m. on a Saturday morning when the bus rolls to a stop, allowing South’s Speech Team, all suited up, to crowd in. Though tired from the early start, nervous energy hangs in the air as the speakers eagerly await the opportunity to perform at a Speech competition.

Nancy Stickels, Speech Team Head Coach, held auditions for a spot on the competitive team in September. Once they got onto the team, members would be assigned to a particular event, Stickels said.

“Some [members] were trying to improve their eye contact, [improve projection], or work on their nerves talking in front of other people,” Stickels said.

Senior Gabriel Blumenfeld, Speech Team member, medaled in the State Series, which consisted of three competitions: regionals, sectionals, and state.

Blumenfeld was confident in his abilities as a speaker, but it still came as a shock when he first discovered that he had made it to the state competition.

“People talk about State in such a magical way,” Blumenfeld said. “For me to be someone whose name is said in the same breath as ‘state’ felt unreal for a while.”

State competitions greatly differ from the teams traditional Saturday morning meet. While regular competitions typically range from 6:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the afternoon, state competitions take days, Blumenfeld said. Qualifying members went to Peoria where they performed their speeches and spent time with friends, he added.

“I [performed] my speech once on Friday,” Blumenfeld said. “I spent the entire rest of the day hanging out with my friends, getting to know people and getting to watch other speeches.”

Senior Gianna Barash, Speech Team Captain, describes speech as competitive talking. Members of this competitive team can get the opportunity to travel, meet new people, and enhance their speaking abilities, she explained.

“[It is] cool to see how many talented people there are and [I have] made so many friends in places that [I] never thought I would ever go to,” Barash said. “[It is] more than just sitting and talking about boring stuff. It can be really, really fun.”