For many, the thought of a public speaking competition is downright frightening.
But for the forensics team at Lake Orion High School, they can’t get enough of it.
‘This is a very individual activity,? said coach Rob Middleton. ‘They come to work with the coaching staff on an individual basis.?
Middleton and his wife Melissa coach the team, which had four individuals qualify for the state competition at Eastern Michigan University, on May 5-6.
Senior Kristin Limback, competing in the informative speaking category, and sophomore Dana Spear, in the oratory category, took home fourth-place finishes.
Teammate Julie Sabo, a junior, was sixth in the prose category, while junior Lindsay Slarick was 15th in oratory.
There were hundreds of students competing across 12 categories at the state competition. All four of the LOHS students said the experience of being there is what they’ll remember most.
‘Forensics kids are naturally more outgoing,? Spear said of meeting some of the other students.
‘You have to talk to people,? added Limback. ‘That’s what you’re there to do.?
But there’s also a lot of work that goes into participating in forensics, which involves a combination of public speaking and drama.
‘A lot of the work is done behind the scenes,? Middleton said, noting that research and preparation of visual aids are usually required.
‘The coaching comes in terms of guiding content and also looking at the delivery,? he said.
The team had 19 members this year (which Middleton said was about average), and competed at various competitions before districts began in April.
The top three finishers in each category qualified for regionals, and the top five at regionals qualified for states.
All four of the LOHS state qualifiers got into forensics in a different fashion.
‘I wanted to gain confidence in choir, so I got involved with forensics,? said Sabo.
Slarick also began competing as a freshman, and said her first trip to states this year was ‘a really different experience.?
Limback and Spear ot involved at the middle school level and continued on in high school.
Limback said she joined the team at Waldon because her mom wanted to be a chaperone on the end-of-the-year trip to Mackinac Island.
But no matter how experienced they were, all four students agreed that nervousness crept in when it was time to compete at states.
They all went through four preliminary rounds with two judges, with the top 12 qualifying for the semis, and later, the top six making it to the finals.