The speech season is underway for the Coalers, and in the first five tournaments the team has posted first, second and third place finishes.
The Coalers welcomed 2025 with a third place finish at the annual Reed-Custer New Year Invitational. Melody Kinder took home first place in original oratory and Jordan Olson was first in prose.
Also placing at the Jan. 4 tournament were: Sam Vota, third, radio speaking; Jacob Cimino, third impromptu; Mason Natyshok, fourth place, original comedy; Caroline Childers, fourth, prose; Corinna Barkley, fifth, special occasion speaking; Theo Fritz, fifth, prose; Grey Vanek, fifth, humorous interpretation; Jacob Cimino, fifth, extemporaneous speaking; Lilliana Aguirre, sixth, humorous interpretation; Lana Larson, sixth, original oratory, and seventh in oratorical declamation; and Melody Kinder, eighth, poetry.
Coaler speaksters headed into the winter break hosting their own tournament on Saturday, Dec. 21 with 370 entries from 17 schools. For the varsity Coalers, second place finishes were posted by Jordan Olson and Olivia Sage in dramatic duet acting, Madison Wilson in radio speaking, and Olson in prose.
Additional placers at the Winter Break Tournament were Melody Kinder, fifth, poetry; Grey Vanek, fifth, humorous interpretation; Corinna Barkley, sixth, special occasion speaking; Jacob Cimino, sixth, impromptu; Kinder, finisher, original oratory, and Deborah Lynch, oratorical declamation.
In the novice division, placing for the Coalers were: Jaiden Leman, second, extemporaneous speaking and impromptu; Charlotte Banks and Victorya Morales, second, humorous duet acting; Xavier Baer, second, informative speaking; Juliet Covington, second, original comedy; Jolene Jones, third, original oratory; Theo Fritz, third, prose; Morales, third, humorous interpretation; Liam Seeley, sixth, informative; Brady Pierson, sixth, original comedy, and Banks, sixth, special occasion speaking.
On Dec. 14, a portion of the team headed to Normal and brought home first place among large division schools. The other half of the team took part in the Irish Invitational at Seneca High School and finished in second place.
Earning a first place finish for the varsity squad at the Normal tournament was the dramatic duet acting team of Gio Bruno and Mayson Wantroba, and Corinna Barkley in special occasion speaking.
Second place finishes were posted by Grey Vanek, humorous interpretation, Jacob Cimino, impromptu speaking; Deborah Lynch, informative, and Madison Wilson, dramatic interpretation.
Deborah Lynch finished third in oratorical declamation and Madison Wilson was third in radio speaking. Also earning medals in varsity competition were Lana Larson, fourth, oratorical declamation and, fifth, original oratory; Jacob Cimino, fifth, extemporaneous speaking; Victorya Morales, fifth, humorous interpretation; Jaiden Leman, fifth, impromptu speaking; Theo Fritz, sixth, prose, and Jolene Jones, seventh, poetry.
In the JV division, first place finishes were earned by Jaiden Leman, extemporaneous speaking; Lilliana Aguirre, humorous interpretation and special occasion speaking; Xavier Baer, original comedy, and Jolene Jones, original oratory. Additional medals won included Gabby VanDuyne, second, prose; Xavier Baer, second, informative speaking: Charlotte Banks and Victorya Morales, fourth, humorous duet acting; Charlotte Banks, fifth, special occasion speaking, and Grey Vanek and Vincenzo Mugnoloo, sixth, humorous duet acting.
Speaksters taking home medals from the Seneca tournament were: Olivia Sage and Jordan Olson, first, dramatic duet acting; Caroline Childers, first, prose; Sam Vota, first, radio speaking; Melody Kinder, second, original oratory and, sixth poetry; Jordan Olson, second prose; Grace Heatherwick, third, informative speaking; Juliet Covington and Sam Vota, fourth, humorous duet acting; Aiden Meister, fifth, extemporaneous speaking; Mason Natyshok, fifth, original comedy, and Juliet Covington, original comedy.
The first tournament of the season took the team to Bloomington where they finished third as a team in the large school division.
Madison Wilson was double entered in the tournament and was the champion in both events—dramatic interpretation and radio speaking.
Medalists at the varsity level were : Mason Natyshok, first, original comedy; Jacob Cimino, second, extemporaneous speaking and, sixth, impromptu; Grey Vanek, second, humorous interpretation; Gio Bruno and Mayson Wantroba, third, dramatic duet acting; Corinna Barkley, fourth, special occasion speaking; Sam Vota and Juliet Covington, fifth, humerus duet acting; Melody Kinder, sixth, original oratory and, ninth, poetry; Deborah Lynch, seventh, oratorical declamation, and Jordan Olson, ninth, prose.
In the JV division medalists were: Lilliana Aguirre, first, humorous interpretation and, second, special occasion speaking; Grace Sitar and Audrina Marshall, second, dramatic duet acting; Jaiden Leman, second, impromptu and, fifth, extemporaneous speaking; Juliet Covington, second, original comedy; Caroline Childers, second, poetry and, fourth, prose; Aiden Meitzer, seventh, extemporaneous speaking, and Brady Pierson and Abi Rose, seventh, humorous duet acting.
The Coalers will participate in the Waubonsie Valley Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 11.