This last month, speech team began meeting to prepare for their competitions in November.

For their competitions, each event participant performs an eight-minute piece in front of judges.

Nicole Tabor, a sophomore competing in Dramatic Duet, said that the coaches decide in which events each team member will perform based upon what the coaches believe each individual is best at, but the students get to choose the actual piece they perform.

The competitors do more than public speaking. Students can compete in any of the fourteen possible categories, also known as events.

In events such as Original Comedy, students prepare humorous skits to perform. Nick Filca, a returning senior, performed a skit about the son of the Hulk attending a school full of superheroes.

For the people lacking the gift of comedic timing, there are several more serious or dramatic events.

In the finals of poetry last year, Ed Vere interpreted a poem depicting how difficult it can be to live in a dominantly Caucasian world as a Filipino. Several audience members were moved.

Despite the majority of the events involving some form or acting, much of the student body is not aware that there is more to speech than simply talking at an audience. Even the current speech sponsor, Chuck Cavazos, was not aware when he was in high school.

Although the team has already begun to meet, Cavazos said that it is not too late to join them. Since their first competition is still a couple of months away, new students have plenty of time to prepare.

People interested in competing do not have to prepare anything in advance.

“All they have to do is come to the meeting,” Cavazos said.

The team meets every Monday in room 136.

It is not a major time commitment during the week, but they do have long competitions on Saturdays.

Tabor said she finds the commitment entirely worth it. “The people in the group are fun, amazing people,” said Tabor. “Mr. Cavazos is the best director ever. Also, it looks great on college applications.”

Speech will continue to compete throughout the entire school year. The major competitions start second semester, but there still are competitions during first semester.