The Chesterton High School Speech Team won another 3A division State Championship on Saturday, March 22.

Some students saw eleven straight rounds of competition on Saturday, and the team’s ability to break through to semi-final rounds and then final rounds was what placed them first in their division.

Senior Finalists at the Indiana High School Forensic Association’s State Tournament were Francesca Smith-3rd in Foreign Extemporaneous speaking, Josh McClain-4th in Dramatic Interpretation, Evan Oliver-4th in U.S. Extemp, Liz Ranegar with partner junior Andrew Biggs-6th in Memorized Duo, and Ray Rodriguez-7th in Discussion.

These seniors have dedicated much of their final year in high school to the Chesterton Speech team and their coaches could not be more proud of both their efforts and their success.

Not only did the seniors perform well on Saturday, but the team can look forward to many great future successes with the amazing group of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who accompanied the team to Indianapolis.

The top 7 students in the state make it to the final round, but those who break to semi-finals are also ranked in the top 21 in the state.

In Foreign Extemp, sophomore Ryan Anderson placed 7th while classmate Kyle Huber placed 10th, and in U.S. Extemp, sophomore Stephan Barkow placed 12th. Sophomore Maggie Sharpe ended her season by making it to finals and placing 7th in the state, while junior Elizabeth Fox placed 13th as well as 8th in Oratorical Interpretation.

Also in O.I. freshman Zena Kharsa placed 16th, and in Impromptu junior Tim Ebert broke to the semi-final round. Sophomore Andrew Biggs, accompanied by partner Liz Ranegar, broke to finals in Memorized Duo placing 6th in the state, while sophomore Hallie Orgel and her partner senior Josh McClain placed 15th out of semis. Sophomore Annie Brady placed 15th in Prose Interpretation, while senior Noelle Hoffman broke to semis and placed 19th overall.

Sophomore Alison Vodnoy placed 10th in the state in both Humorous and Dramatic Interpretation, and senior Liz Ranegar broke to semis and placed 18th in Drama. In Broadcasting, sophomore Alex Cook finished 11th in the state, and the freshman Scripted Duo team of Mike Dunbar and Sarah Alessi made it to semis, finishing 16th in the state.

Accompanying the team to state were coaches Robert Kelly, Barbara Funke, Jim Cavallo, Doug Pishkur, and Sarah Good.

Also with the team was former competitor Anna Ebner as well as parents Mary Lane, Ellen Sharpe and Mary Fox. The students and coaches all appreciated the time all three parents gave in traveling with the team to judge at state.

Coach Sarah Good said, “The state tournament is the pinnacle of some students’ speech careers. The great success of our freshmen and sophomores is a measure of the time and effort they exerted in the current season and also a tool to measure their future success as well.

“We are hopeful in looking to the futures of these amazing young people on the team.” The coaching staff is pleased with the team’s finish, and now they will prepare for the National tournament in Atlanta, Georgia this summer.

Posted 3/25/2003