Speech team uncertain as it prepares for competition

MT. PLEASANT - The Mt. Pleasant Community High School speech team has had to cope with uncertainty, a virtual competition format, social distancing rules, and more as they prepare for this year's speech competitions.

To cope with health and safety concerns the Iowa High School Speech Association has a new format for the speech competitions this year.

Schools who choose to compete have three options: perform live for a state judge virtually, hire judges to host a competition at your school, or attend another competition hosted by another school (with a limit of two schools per competition).

The district large group speech competition is on Jan. 23 with many schools still deciding how they will participate in the competition.

This has caused some issues for smaller schools that don't have the resources to staff a judging panel for all of their events in their competition.

Mt. Pleasant speech coach Jessi Rich is worried that she wouldn't be able to source out a judge and is worried about what a virtual competition might look like.

'I don't foresee us hiring judges because I don't feel like we have the means to do that or the participation in the student body to justify that,” Rich said.

Rich stated that the Mt. Pleasant speech team is attempting to group with another school for their competition to hopefully simplify the process. Rich hopes that area schools like Ottumwa that are hosting their own competition would be willing to invite Mt. Pleasant.

'Since we just have one group competing it feels like the best thing to do would be to take that group to a school or do it virtually,” Rich said.

Mt. Pleasant has only one performance group participating in the large group competition. Senior Angelique Frazier-Neitman and junior Shaylnn Allen are performing 'Defying Gravity” the Glee cast version at the competition in the musical theater category.

Although virtual performances and hiring judges aren't the only things different about this year, because of COVID-19 and safety concerns that follow performers are only allowed to practice for 30 minutes at a time, must maintain social distancing, wear masks while practicing, and more including sanitizing between groups.

Competitions themselves will take a different look with no spectators and sanitizing practices between performances. However, performers are allowed to take off their masks during their performance.

With so much uncertainty and so much different about this year, coach Jessi Rich is afraid that it is driving away students who would otherwise be interested in the program.

'I hoping for more participation during individuals, and I think that individual events will be easier because we won't have to worry as much about social distancing because they're individual,” Rich Said.

Speech teams have had a difficult year after their state competition's for individual events were canceled due to COVID-19 last winter.

'I think what I'm struggling with is last year we had such a good group of kids and it was so disheartening to not go to state, and when they canceled the state competition and we didn't have that opportunity that was disheartening,” Rich said.