Varsity, novice competitors earn most points at GINW speech meet

For the sixth year since the Swede speech team has competed in the Grand Island Northwest meet in 2006, a sweepstakes award has accompanied the team home.

The novices also earned a sweepstakes plaque.

Swede varsity and novice teams dominated the competition Saturday. The varsity scored 356 points with Milford and Grand Island Central Catholic both accumulating 130 points.

Novice competitors, or those competing in speech for the first time, earned 242 points. GICC was second with 142 and North Platte third with 90 points.

Varsity team members won the meet in 2006, 2007, 2008 and in 2011 and 2012 after returning to the Grand Island event after competing in Loup City in 2009 and 2010.

“This was a small feel-good meet,” said speech team adviser Dan Jensen about the contest in which 14 schools competed. “And what a way to end the regular season.”

Jensen described varsity competitors as bouncing back after a disappointing loss to Gering (who won the contest) at the North Platte Speech Invite the prior week.

As small as the novice team is, compared to previous years, he said he thought competitors would be battling for second place.

“In the end, they won with authority,” Jensen said.

Nine Swedes stood in the winner’s circle on the varsity level and three among novices.

Juniors Abbie Mazour and Kayla Trevino teamed up for a win in improvised duet. Mazour was a double winner when she also took first in serious prose.

Senior Jon Rehmert topped the field in extemporaneous speaking as did Madison Costello in informative speaking.

Amanda Kowalewski, a sophomore, was judged best in entertainment speaking.

Members of an oral interpretation team garnered a gold medal for their interpretation of a humorous drama entitled “Oz.”

They are Ashley Wilkerson, Rachel Rice, Rebecca Miller and Kennedy Wahlgren.

The Swedes also earned four silver and six bronze medals in the varsity division.

For novices, freshman Dylan France brought home gold medals in both entertainment speaking and humorous prose.

France also combined his talents with those of fellow freshman Drake Langley to take first in improvised duet.

Fellow freshman Kylee Beyea also scored a first-place in informative speaking.

In addition to Gothenburg, schools represented at the meet included Milford, Grand Island Central Catholic, North Platte, Shelton, Doniphan-Trumbull, Lexington, Central City, Elwood, Alma, Litchfield, St. Paul, Fairbury and Wilcox-Hildreth.

The next meet will be the Best of the West in North Platte on March 2 followed by Southwest Conference in Cozad on March 5. Districts are set for March 12 in Minden.

Other medalists included:

Extemporaneous speaking

Varsity: 6. Ashley Wilkerson

Novice: 3. Gage Taylor, 4. Kylee Beyea

Persuasive speaking

Varsity: 3. Carlin Daharsh, 6. Kelsey Kuhlman

Novice: 2. Courtney Melvin, 5. Natalie Mazour

Informative speaking

Varsity: 3. (tie) Rachel Rice and Carlin Daharsh, 6. Jessica Schmidt

Entertainment speaking

Novice: 2. Rebecca Riley, 4. Talina Ramsey

Humorous prose

Varsity: 5. Abbie Mazour

Novice: 4. Drake Langley, 5. Roman Schmidt

Serious prose

Varsity: 3. Betsy Potter

Poetry

Varsity: 2. Carlin Daharsh, 3. Madison Costello, 6. Morgan Kowalewski

Duet acting

Varsity: 3. Kayla Trevino and Carlie Stevens, 5. Drake Brand and Brett Mann

Novice: 3. Jettison Seimer and Joseph Darling, 5. Rebecca Riley and Kylee Beyea

Improvised duet acting

Varsity: 2. Madison Costello and Kennedy Wahlgren, 4. Drake Brand and Brett Mann, 6. Roman Schmidt and Jessica Schmidt

Novice: 3. Jettison Seimer and Joseph Darling

Oral interpretation of drama

4. Morgan Kowalewski, Carlie Stevens, Alayna Collins, Amanda Larson and Brett Mann.

Also competing were Jacob Boehle, Kristin Bartlett, Bailey Gibbens and Emily Keiser.