Beth Anne Carroll
Staff Writer
Some students dedicate themselves to an activity until they reach the ultimate success. Sophomore Alex Smith achieved that success when he qualified for national competition in oral interpretation, a first in Coppell High School history.
The national tournament is June 13 – 18 in Dallas.
The competition was held through the National Forensics League, an organization allowing students to compete in events focusing on speech, debate and interpretation. Students compete at the district and state level before qualifying for the national competition.
Qualifying for nationals is no easy task – Smith participated in competition through the Texas Forensics Association for most of the past year. Competitions began early in the school year and continued until February. Smith had to place in the top two in humorous interpretation at the district tournament in order to advance.
“We train all year during the TFA season in order to qualify for nationals,” freshman interpretation team member Emily McIntyre said. “Alex worked hard for the whole season and, most importantly, he never gave up. He definitely deserves to go to nationals.”
In an oral interpretation competition, a student selects a piece and performs it for the judges. Competitors must memorize their piece and perform it without props and costumes. They have a 10-minute time limit for their performance, which includes an introduction.
“My piece is called ‘The Cult’ by Jon Stewart. It is about this guy that convinces these people that Captain Crunch will spring to life off of the box,” Smith said.
There are two types of interpretation: dramatic and humorous. Smith competes in humorous interpretation, which features more comedic selections and forces the competitor to play several different parts.
“For humorous interpretation, you have to be every single character in the script, so you have to pop into the character and your feet, voice and facial expressions have to be completely different for each one,” Smith said.
Preparing a piece for competition takes practice and preparation. Smith has been working on his piece since early in the year and has used it in many contests in order to perfect it for the big competitions.
“He had used this piece earlier in the TFA competitions. He plays multiple characters and he has been doing this piece the whole year,” oral interpretation coach Maleda Kunkle said.
Smith is excited about his accomplishment and is looking forward to the opportunity to compete against the nation’s best later this year.
“Nationals is an experience I might not ever have again. It’s neat to go in and compete against everyone who has qualified across the country,” Smith said. “Hopefully, it will propel me through the next couple of years.”
