Park High’s speech and debate team recently concluded its season at the state competition, with several students delivering standout performances despite challenges along the way. Senior Ripley Cunningham placed fourth in extemporaneous speaking, an event that requires competitors to research, write, and deliver a seven-minute speech on a given topic—all within 30 minutes. Her performance was particularly impressive given the circumstances. “I was quite sick. I had been running a fever the day before state and had a really hoarse voice,” Cunningham said. “It was a little bit difficult to speak, but I did my best, and I was honestly surprised that I made it to finals.”
Despite the difficulties, she was proud of her resilience, though Cunningham couldn’t help but wonder what might have been. “It was promising that if I wasn’t sick, maybe I could have taken state,” she said. It’s also no secret that this season brought changes for the speech and debate team, including a coaching transition after longtime coach Keaton Ramm stepped down. The team was left in the hands of JD Wagner and Vicki Denniston, who had prior coaching experience.
“We definitely got off to a rough start,” Cunningham said. “But JD and Vicki really pulled it together. Considering how jarring that was for our team, we had a really good turnout, and our coaches made sure everyone felt confident going into competitions.” However, the team did see a drop in participation this year, which some attributed to the coaching transition and a later starting season than normal. Regardless of numbers every member that competed in the divisionals tournament placed and was able to compete at the state level.
With the state competition wrapped up, some competitors are now considering the next step, national qualifiers. Cunningham remains undecided about competing but planned to discuss the possibility with her coach, while others like senior Matthew Melin are gearing up for the competition.
Beyond competition, speech and debate has had a lasting impact on Cunningham. “Speech and Debate is probably one of the most welcoming and laid back communities of people that you will ever encounter,” Cunningham said. “It’s a great way to meet new people, to make new friends and to find unity, especially as a teenager who’s kind of figuring out what they want and who they are.”