Southwest Speech Team Closes Successful Season

Given just 30 minutes of preparation, most of us would have difficulty composing a speech on our own pets or holiday traditions, let alone a topic like the UN’s role in protecting civilians in Libya. At the very least, it’s safe to say the majority of us would find this prospect daunting if not  paralyzingly nerve-wracking. And yet, this is what sophomore Vince Puzak has done voluntarily on Saturday mornings for the past two years. And next year, he’s coming back for more.

Puzak is a member of the Southwest speech team and he competes in the category of extemporaneous speaking, affectionately known by competitors as “extemp.” There were between four and eight other extempors on the speech team at different times this year, out of around 35 students total, freshmen to seniors. The speech season drew to a close with the team’s banquet on Tuesday night.

There are two divisions in extemporaneous speaking, domestic and international. Vince competes in the international category and says he chose this role on the speech team because he likes international affairs and he was energized by the inherent uncertainty in the extemporaneous speaking category. 

“I thought it would be interesting to not know what you’re going to talk about before you talk about it,” Puzak said. “It’s fun, the unpredictability of it.”

The only predictability in the category comes from current news headlines. Stay on top of current events, Vince said, and you’ll have a good idea of the questions posed at meets. In competition, extemporaneous speakers are given three questions to choose from and then 30 minutes to prepare for a five to seven-minute speech, which should be not only informative and factually accurate but also entertaining.

Vince and the other extempors prepared for their speeches by becoming well-informed citizens. Twice a week after school, when the speech team practiced, the extemporaneous speakers would study publications like The Economist, The New York Times, BBC World News and Newsweek.  

Mariah Oxley, a junior, has been considering competing in the extemporaneous speaking category as well. A transplant from Portland, OR, Mariah joined the speech team last year when she came to Southwest. As a sophomore she competed in the informative speaking category with a speech on the history of vampires and werewolves, throwing in several Twilight jokes for good measure. This year, she used her love of theater in the creative expression category, performing a piece she wrote herself about a school election. But she is drawn to extemporaneous speaking because it is always changing and she sees it as a valuable skill to have. 

Whatever the category, Mariah said being on the speech team has helped her confidence at school.

“Presentations in front of the class are no big deal because I’m speaking in front of strangers every Saturday,” she said. 

The Southwest speech team is headed up by the school’s principal, Dr. Smith and his wife, as well as Dan Ferris, an English teacher. Though he has years of teaching and coaching speech under his belt, this is Ferris’ second year with Southwest and his first coaching the speech team. He said he has seen a change in the students and commended them for the risk they take with each meet.

“I definitely can see a lot more confidence,” Ferris said. “We’ve had some students that quite frankly are taking a chance, stepping outside of their comfort zone, and they do it week after week.”