I’m officially done with speech and debate. After six years, six long and completely ridiculous years, I’m done. And that’s crazy.
Speech has been a huge part of my life. It was the first thing I ever won trophies in that weren’t participation awards, which I used in my college application essay, and partially how I paid for college (woo talent scholarship).
It’s made me some of my closest friends, given me confidence, and made me a better organized and better spoken human.
It’s taken me to Budapest, Amsterdam, Rome, Antwerp, and Paris, plus all over Colorado and the Pacific northwest.
My senior thesis for my undergraduate degree is almost entirely built around my protagonist’s debate season.
I’ve performed speeches about YouTube, NaNoWriMo, the Bechdel Test (video about this one forthcoming), profanity, religion, drug addiction, unrequited love, and rape culture. I’ve performed works by Sarah Vowell, Tina Fey, George Watsky, Derrick Brown, Carrie Fisher, and myself.
I’ve made people laugh, I’ve made people cry (like, actually cry), I’ve made people think, and I’ve learned more than I ever expected.
Speech was my lifeline when everything else was going wrong; it gave me a goal and a focus. I have never felt more like myself as when I stand in front of an audience and speak on something I’m passionate about.
I was certainly never the best, but I was pretty damn good.
Without speech I wouldn’t be going to graduate school in television writing, because I needed to learn how to talk before I could write other people talking.
Without speech I wouldn’t have a focus for my senior thesis, I wouldn’t be confident traveling by myself, talking in public, or believing in my own opinions. I wouldn’t have any of my jobs without the interview skills I gained from debate.
My life would be unrecognizable without forensics, and I love my life.
Speech wasn’t always a picnic, though. The end of my high school forensics career almost ruined me for good, but as always, it wasn’t forensics’ fault. Toxic people exist everywhere, and thankfully I stuck with the activity despite them.
Speech is also a lot of work; I’ve spent countless hours writing, compiling, memorizing, and practicing, and countless more hours on the road or at tournaments. I’ve missed a lot of weekends for this activity, as well as parties, birthdays, and other random events. I also get sick pretty consistently the week after tournaments.
And I don’t regret a single hour.
I have a feeling TV writing will easily fill the time void in my life now that speech is over, and I can get my kicks performing at open mics, poetry slams, and during pitch meetings.
But there’s nothing like walking into a poorly-lit classroom for a final round stuffed with people cheering on your competition, then blowing them all away. I get more of an endorphin high after an intense cross examination than a run.
I didn’t get into finals in any event during IFA Paris, my last ever full tournament, but I’m not upset. I am so proud of how I performed, of my team, and of myself. It’s ben a long and crazy ride, and though I’ll miss it, I’m excited to met the next community I’ll fall into.
Thank you to everyone who made this ride possible. Thanks to Crystal, my high school coach, Dan, my college coach, and Mark, David, and JCo, my college assistant coaches. Thank you to my high school and college teammates, to my debate and duo partners. And thank you to every person I ever had the pleasure of meeting during my stay in this community. Even if I considered you a nemesis, you made an important impact on my life, and I’m so glad to have rhetorically fought it out with you.
