Since the start of the school year, members of PR’s speech team have been writing, memorizing, and practicing for their first competition of the season this Saturday at Huntley High School. The coaches, Mrs. Hartnett, Mr. Kennett, and Mrs. Pham are also getting anxious because they know what it takes to be a strong opponent against the other schools in the conference. Jack Disselhorst, who has led the team to the finals in past years, unfortunately cannot compete this year, but is helping co-coach and is “occasionally bustin’ out an impromptu speech.”

There are a wide variety of events in which the team participates, ranging from original writing to duet acting to prose reading. Sophomore Maia McLin is a first-year member who wrote an original comedic piece which “contrasts sassy black people to awkward white people.” An original comedy must be written by the student, but an event such as poetry reading requires the participant to interpret a published work. Junior Aashini Patel will be reading a poem on Saturday about “the three stages of love,” and it is her second year on the team.

As a senior and a third year participant in speech team, Jeremy Chapnick has stepped forth as a senior leader. This season he will be perfecting his original oratory, a “persuasive speech on the Apple media conglomerates.”

Another unique event is extemporaneous speaking, in which performers are given a topic regarding current events upon which to expound. They then have 45 minutes to obtain information from browsing magazines and newspapers, and to write a speech analyzing that information in relation to the topic presented. This year’s “extemp champ” is Aaditya Rawal, who is only a freshman but is excelling already and proving himself as a talented, valuable member of the team.

Saturday, November 5 will be an exciting day for the 2011-2012 PR speech team, and the students will be ready to meet the challenge.