There was a certain feeling of closeness at Kimball Area High School this past Saturday as the Kimball Speech Team hosted the 2nd Annual Empress Invitational. With an “Under the Sea” theme, perhaps it was fitting (and we mean barely fitting) that 550 students from 26 schools were packed in like sardines to compete for the title of “Emperor” or “Empress” of their particular MSHSL speech category. The Empress Invitational is so named for former KAHS Speech Coach and English & Speech teacher, Angela Provost Sandal, who encouraged her students to refer to her by the title “Empress.” At this meet, one of the largest invitationals in the Central Minnesota area during the speech season, students compete to win not only team trophies and individual medals, but also the much-coveted “crown” for champions in each category. This Saturday’s “Emperors” and “Empresses” included Tony Sanders of BBE in Creative Expression; Tim Meyer of St Cloud Cathedral in Serious Drama; Schneider and Moe of Willmar in Duo Interpretation; David Byrne of St Cloud Cathedral in Discussion; Sara Kokkila of Willmar in Extemp. Reading; Anthony Rooney of BBE in Extemp. Speaking; Nick Yozamp of St Cloud Cathedral in Great Speeches; James Pearson of Buffalo in Humorous Interp.; Katie Pierce of St Cloud Cathedral in Informative; Hilary Street of Princeton in Original Oratory; Jadyn Alexander of Princeton in Serious Poetry; Emily Griep of Sauk Centre in Serious Prose; and Caitlyn Swinney of BBE in Storytelling. Teams are classified as Small, Medium, and Large Team, depending on the number of students competing at the invitational. The top two teams in each category are awarded trophies and the third place team receives an ovation from the large crowd. Team standings from the Empress Invitational were: Small Team – first place Buffalo High School; second place, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City; and third place Maple Lake. Medium Team – first Place Sauk Rapids-Rice; second place, Princeton; and third place Sauk Centre. (Former Kimball teacher Molly Olson coaches the Sauk Rapids-Rice team and Kimball graduate Thor Mattick coaches the Princeton team). And finally, in Large Team- – first place, St Cloud Cathedral; second place, Willmar; and third place, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa. Congratulations to all the winners and participants, and special thank yous to the custodial staff who go above and beyond for us, to Taher for yummy pizzas, to the staff and faculty at KAHS for opening your classrooms and offices for the tournament, to the awesome, wonderful, amazing speech team parents for feeding everyone, and most of all to the Kimball speech team, who are the most amazing, talented, nicest bunch of hard-working kids I’ve had the priviledge of coaching.
