Jessica Bender
Public speaking. Synonymous with sweaty palms, racing heartbeat, shaky knees and cotton mouth, right? Wrong. At least not for the nearly 40 people on Cary-Grove’s Speech Team.

The dreadful symptoms of stage fright have affected many, but practice with a supporting group of friends and teachers is a sure way to help ease the fear. In fact, like many teams at C-G, Speech Team is more than just a club, but a tight, dedicated group of students that are there to achieve success.

Katie Altpeter is a junior on Speech Team who joined early sophomore year in hopes of overcoming her longtime fear of speeches. Especially since sophomore English is notorious for the many speeches expected of students, Katie felt, “if I do this (Speech Team) I can become more confident in public speaking” and conquer stage fright once and for all.

Did it work? The answer is yes. Speech Team not only became a great addition to her high school experience and college resume but a great group of friends to hang around as well.

A friend was the reason she finally decided to join and, as it turned out, “spending 12 hours together every Saturday makes us grow really close,” Altpeter said.Jessica Bender

Speech Team holds practice Monday through Friday from 3:00-5:30 p.m, yet another reason why they have achieved so much success in their past and current seasons.

“If you do a club sport a few days a week it’s nice,” because it allows you to not feel pressured about going every day, Altpeter said.

She and quite a few other members were able to compete at regionals on February 7, earning a second-place finish overall. She competes regularly in Original Oratory, which involves writing a persuasive speech based on your own beliefs, and Informative Speaking, a speech based on research. Both speeches must be between 7-8:30 minutes long and memorized. Other events include extemporaneous speaking, original comedy, prose, dramatic interpretation, and broadcasting, just to name a few.

Speech Team is a great way to overcome stage fright with the support of friends and teachers. If you ever find yourself stuttering before a crowd or with some extra time on your hands, don’t hold your tongue, give Speech Team a call.