Senior Aaron Raines will be going to the State competition for Forensic Speech after placing in the top three at Regionals.
By Leah Holliday
On Fri., Mar. 2, senior Aaron Raines placed in the top three at Regionals for Forensic Speech. The competition was held at Lee Davis High School.
Competing in the category of Original Oratory, Raines spoke on “What Every Teenager Should Learn.” This was the first time her mom attended a competition with her. Her mom’s emotions toward her daughter caused her to get caught up in her words.
“It was the first time my mom heard my speech, and she cried. It made me forget a whole part,” Raines said.
Hoping to have this kind of affect on the judges, Raines continued to bring her speech out from her mind to her lips. She had to repeat her speech multiple times to different judges, so Raines had multiple chances to impress new people.
Each speech was made to be five to ten minutes long. Also, the speaker must be persuasive in his or her speech, allowing the judges to believe in their opinion.
“They really judge on tone, organization, movement, and the ability to persuade them,” Raines said.
Raines did not think her competition was easy. It was Raines’ first time doing anything like this, but for the others it was “like second nature”.
“They were all really good. There was this girl Layla and she was amazing. She had been doing this since sixth grade. It seemed like second nature to her,” Raines said.
Due to her success at Regionals, Raines will be moving on to the state competition.
“I would be really excited, because I am the only student from Prince George to go to state,” said Raines.
If Raines places once again at State she will move on to Nationals. Much support and congratulations is given to Raines as she continues with hopes of success.