WACO Speech Team shines at All State Festival after 25-years gap

WAYLAND — After years of the WACO High School’s speech program remaining dormant, Coach Kor Rich celebrates her fourth year reviving the program with the remarkable feat of sending students to both Large Group and Individual Event Iowa High School Speech Association’s All State Festivals for the first time in 25 years.

“We hadn’t been to All-State in 25 years, and now we have two nominations in the same year!” Rich said. “I’m very proud of how much these kids have improved!”

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Senior Jaklyn Cook will perform in Spontaneous Speaking at the Individual Events All-State Festival on March 31 at the University of Northern Iowa, representing not just WACO, but years of personal growth, resilience, and dedication.

“I was shocked, then really proud,” Cook said. “I thought that the speech I gave at state this year was going to be my last, and I was just very surprised to hear that I made All-State. I've been working for this since I was 14, so finally making it is very important to me.”

Cook didn’t just show up — she showed out at the state-level contest earning Division I ratings in both Literary Program and Spontaneous Speaking. After receiving the best scores possible at state, she waited alongside many others for news of All-State nominations. Finding her name among those selected for the privilege of performing at the festival was beyond anything Cook could imagine. All her years of effort and growth paid off just as she prepares to leave the WACO speech program.

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The speech team also secured a nomination at the Large Group All-State Festival earlier in the season with a Reader’s Theater performance by Avalin Grieser and Gracie Cardenas. Their powerful delivery helped place WACO’s name back on the All-State map after more than two decades away.

Rich doesn’t take these milestones lightly.

“This is the first time we’re sending students to both festivals,” she said. “Speech is incredibly important to me. It provides kids with a valuable outlet to express themselves and learn lifelong skills—like reading a room, communicating effectively, and speaking confidently in public.”

Cook knows this firsthand. As a freshman, she didn’t think she belonged in speech. Rich changed that.

“My coach, Kori Rich, is incredible,” Cook said. “She got me into speech when I was a freshman who thought I didn’t enjoy speaking.”

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Rich encouraged Cook to try Group Improv since she already had theater experience. From there, Cook transitioned to individual events — and found her passion in Spontaneous Speaking.

“She’s always said, ‘Speech is great because you get to meet people who are the same kind of weird that we are,’” Cook said. “She’s gotten me through all the jitters, anxiety, and self-doubt over the years. I’ll never be able to thank her enough.”

The admiration is mutual between Cook and Rich.

“Jaklyn has been with me since year one,” Rich said. “To see her grow and take a chance on me bringing speech back has been very rewarding. She excels in Spontaneous Speaking — it’s where her talent shines.”

Cook, who hopes to become a high school English teacher, calls speech the best decision she’s ever made.

“I want to coach some weird kids like me someday,” she said. “Going out for speech was the best decision I ever made, and I couldn't be prouder to represent myself, my coach, my school, and all of the little weird kids who will grow up to be speech kids at the All-State Festival.”

She explained Spontaneous Speaking in her signature quirky style: “It’s improv for nerds.”

Here’s how it works: Competitors choose one of three prompts pulled from an envelope. They get three minutes to write an outline on a note card. Then they have five minutes to deliver a structured, compelling speech.

“There are all kinds of topics involved — current events, reform ideas, yes or no questions,” Cook said. “Over the years, I've had prompts like ‘Should there be art in school?’, ‘How can the teen mental health crisis be addressed in Iowa?’, or ‘Should college athletes be paid?’”

Cook doesn’t chase statistics or data-heavy speeches. She speaks from the heart.

“I always try to choose the most emotional prompt because I find it easier to appeal to pathos,” she said. “I want to say something that makes people feel.”

Despite years of competing, Cook said she never stops learning. This year, state felt different.

“I got ‘Is the American Dream alive?’ at state, and I was not confident at all in that speech,” she admitted. “It was so out of the norm from what I usually choose.”

Even with the uncertainty, her preparation and method carried her through.

“Looking back on it, it was a good speech,” she said. “My tried-and-true method made a difference. It’s just a five-paragraph essay, really — intro, three supporting arguments, conclusion.”

While many speakers fear public speaking, Cook says competitive speech turned that fear into power.

“I used to be terrified of giving speeches because I was afraid to mess up,” she said. “Spontaneous Speaking taught me that even if you mess up, trip over your words, or get something wrong, no one will know unless you let them know.”

She recalled countless times when she walked off stage worried she stumbled, only to hear teammates or Rich say they hadn’t noticed anything at all.

“Once you've given a speech competitively where you're there to be judged—standing in front of a group of your classmates doesn't seem so bad,” she said.

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Rich believes speech transforms students, and she’s seen that growth in all five of this year’s state-level competitors. Levi Bachman earned a Division II rating in Improv, Tanner Egli scored a Division I in Spontaneous Speaking, Gracie Cardenas received a Division II in Prose, and Avalin Grieser earned Division I ratings in both Poetry and Prose. Then there was Cook, with Division I ratings in two categories.

“These students are building confidence and learning how to own their voice,” Rich said. “It’s amazing to witness.”

Cook said she finds joy not only in performing, but in supporting her teammates.

“I’m looking forward to watching everyone else perform,” she said about All-State. “I’ve always loved watching my teammates perform, almost more than I love performing myself. It's a different kind of happiness, seeing someone perform a speech that they have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into — just as you have your own speeches.”

She shared a favorite memory from her sophomore year at state, where a fellow competitor improvised a speech about the history of Beyblades after receiving a prompt they didn’t understand.

“They just twisted the prompt so they could talk about Beyblades for five minutes,” she laughed. “It was honestly genius.”

When she’s not preparing speeches, Cook is deeply involved in the WACO community. She’s the eSports team captain and can often be found in the art room helping junior high students with their projects.

“If you can’t find me, I’m in the art room,” she said. “Or I’m probably beating kids who think they’re better than me at Mario Kart.”

She encourages others to give speech a try — even if it feels intimidating.

“Just do it,” she said. “If anyone has ever told you that you're a good speaker, believe them. There’s no harm in trying, and you may just find that you like it.”

And for those who feel overwhelmed by preparation, Cook encourages them to check out some of the improv-style categories.

“If you don't have a lot of time to prepare something, go out for Spontaneous Speaking!” Cook said. “I promise that it's not as scary or as hard as it sounds. Public speaking doesn’t have to be something that you dread. You just have to find the right thing to speak about.”

Backed by a passionate coach, a rising team, and a rekindled program, Cook and her fellow speech students aren’t just competing — they’re making history.

“Her dedication and talent has paid off,” Rich said. “I can't wait to see where life takes her.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com