Heidelberg’s Speech Team, under the direction of coach Dan Higgins, continued its strong tradition with an impressive championship last weekend.
The team won the state championship in the Presidents Division at the Ohio Forensic Association’s Novice State Championship at Ohio University. A total of 10 schools participated in the tournament.
Bringing home individual honors were Hannah Long-Higgins and Tunde Adedipe. Long-Higgins, in her first year of collegiate competition, placed first in Programmed Oral Interpretation with a humorous piece based on Tina Fey’s “Bossy Pants.” She claimed second place in After Dinner Speaking and third in the Triathlon, which was open to students who competed in all three speaking genres (Oral Interpretation, Original Address and Limited Preparation).
Additionally, Adedipe earned first place in Impromptu Speaking and sixth place in Extemporaneous Speaking.
“I’m extremely proud of our young team,” Dan Higgins said. “They put 100 percent effort into this tournament and the results came shining through.”
Hannah Long-Higgins hopes the weekend’s success brings an increased awareness about the Speech Team. “The cool thing is that we have a history of a very solid program. I’m excited to be able to help carry the tradition forward,” she said. “I hope this will raise awareness and other students will get involved so the program can grow.”
The Speech Team’s next competition will be the state varsity match, coming up in several weeks.