Ihsa state results

[jayman]

Lets use this space right here for results and opinions from the State Tournament. Few ground rules for this thread:

1. Be Respectful- If you didn't like something, that's your perrogative. However, DO NOT BASH PEOPLE, SCHOOLS, PERFORMANCES.

2. Feel free to state your opinions on how you viewed pieces. Do so in a manner that will lend itself to a positive discussion

3. NO PERSONAL ATTACKS- if you've got a bone to pick with someone, do it face to face.

4. Too many times people get ripped for analyzing performances. If you do not want to read someone's analysis- then stay off this thread.

If you don't agree with the ground rules, please post in a different thread. I don't want it to spin out of control with personal attacks etc..
Thanks
Congrats to all of the Finalists, Champions etc... Now, lets hear what people thought (obviously, this will happen after awards)

[jayman]

First off- No tournament should be delayed this much because of a computer program. We use to do this just fine without speechwire. Goodness!

DDA- Dog Sees God.. Definitely a wonderful performance. Congrats to them. I probably would have flipped 2nd and 3rd.

DI- Trey's performance was very nice, but I would have preferred to see Tierra there. In my opinion, she took more risks, had more natural and honest emotion and really connected with the audience better. Congrats to Trey though on a wonderful achievement.

HDA- ABSOLUTELY the right ones! HYSTERICAL. In my opinion one of the two funniest in the last 5-10 years. Interesting side not- I believe their coach won HDA 20 years ago in 1989. Now that's nuts

[jayman]

Anyone else shocked at how much DGN faded? I was really surprised. Congrats to DGS and Warren for their finishes.

[OboeGeekFreek]

Who is Tierra and Trey and all of these people? Is EVERYONE here from the same town, or what?

[jayman]

IHSA- Stands for Illinois High School Association. They just had their state tournament.

[jeawagne]

First off- No tournament should be delayed this much because of a computer program. We use to do this just fine without speechwire. Goodness!

There was a lot more than the tab software messed up about this tournament, but not much different than every other year. I hope that Mr. Jenkins got a nice insight into the inner-workings of the surreptitious state tab room. (Though I know that he was more likely running around making sure rooms were unlocked, etc... Well hosted, sir.)

But hey, it was a nice irony to see people walk out while the championship* team walked up to get their trophy... maybe people are finally done with it?

[peacebone]

The prose results were a bit off from my predictions.

I would've ranked it....

1. Frank Austin
2. Bob Beland
3. Tess Mody
4. Anna Binstein
5. Mike Duffy
6. Lauren Campbell
7. Lamar Hawkings

But, that was an INTENSE final. (far more diffcult than last year's state final, in my opinion) Anyone in that round could've been the state champion. So congrats to ALL competitors!

[TruRavenclaw]

Well, here's what I thought about the winners. This is just my opinion, Overall, I thought it was great, congrats to Belleville for putting together a great tournament. I loved the set btw.

DDA: I was hoping Jon and Trey would win, but Blake and Darnell were good. It took me a while to understand that they were playing Lean on Me at the piano, but this isn't American Idol... its a speech contest.

DI: I was happy that Trey won, but I also heard Tiera was just amazing.

Extemp: Jessica Petrie was a delight. It didn't sound like we were listening to an Extemp, it actually reminded me of Liz Dana's Oratory from last year. I know someone on here is from Belleville, tell her that I love her. (That's not creepy).

HDA: Hilarious. Someone said awkward homosexual situations couldn't win 3 years in a row, but it did. It actually kind of reminded me of Drake and Josh.

HI: JON SOKOLOW! Hilarious. That's all... BUDDY THE CHIPMUNK!

Impromptu: That was awkward... but good. Apparently, that's how he rolls...

Dec: Interesting, I thought Lawrie might win, but Morris was good.

OC: Hilarious, though I was secretly rooting for Travis Trew.

OO: One of two that I didn't really enjoy. I thought Annie Larsen would win that hands down. THe winner frankly, was just boring. I thought it was weird that someone would do economic illiteracy the year right after political illeteracy from Liz Dana. This sounded more like an extemp than the girl who won extemp.

PIR: Good, I can't really judge since I know it's hard to tell when it's set up on stage.

Poetry: Kevin GIffin was sweet and cute. My only gripe is that he basically used the same character he used last year in his prose in the poetry. Still, I have to admit it was done awesomely.

Prose: This is the other one I didn't really enjoy. After watching the prose final I predicted Anna Binstein or Bob Beland. I feel like the winner was good, but I don't know if it was good enough to win state.

Radio: The Radio people on my team were thrilled when Shaina won, but were disappointed that she went overtime, but still... it's radio... they don't do this in public.

SOS: I saw this final round. It was good. I don't understand how Todd got 6th and Cecil got 5th... I would have ranked them one higher. But I called that for Tiera, she just owned the room, something that Benassi, though hilarious, didn't really pull off for me.

It was good. Good job to everyone who competed. And good luck to all next year.

[Well...]

I watched the HDA final and let me tell you...that was INSANE! Absolutely incredible the talent that was in that room! It was also really interesting the wide range of of pieces that were there. I was very happy with the overall winner, but I think the ranks of everyone below that was just screwed up. If I had ranked it, it would have been:

1. Quatman/Connaghan
2. Skurka/Williamsen
3. Baker/Carey
4. Ingram/Carroll
5. Bell/Harris
6. Hosseini/Ford
7. Eisfeller/Armstrong
8. Sobule/Johnson

But, that is totally a personal opinion! I just felt like overall it was a really tough, really close round that could have gone to almost anyone!

I wish I had that whole thing on tape!!!!

[peacebone]

I honestly thought Baker/Carey should have won. Their piece was hilarious, cute, and told a story. Whereas most the other competitors in that round did not.

After Baker/Carey, I would've put Skurka/Williamsen. Their facial expressions and physical humor completely blew me away.

THEN Elk Grove.

Then Pregnancy piece.

Then Basic Training.

Then Stepford Guy.

Then Rosencratz and Guildenstern.

Then The Bag Lady.

[Well...]

Okay peacebone, Baker/Carey were pretty darn good and they obviously did not deserve 5th! They were absolutely adorable and they really had some killer jokes! I've been repeating "So we're waiting for it to die" all day! But, I think they are a junior and a sophomore! So they have next year! But, I just felt that Quatman/Connaghan were just so...just perfect! I don't even know what else to say!

[jayman]

[quote=peacebone;120863]I honestly thought Baker/Carey should have won. Their piece was hilarious, cute, and told a story. Whereas most the other competitors in that round did not.

In my opinion, the HDA champs were just so electric and connected. I will agree 100% that Baker and Carey were top of the line and I would have actually had them second. Not at all sure how second place shook out the way it did. In my opinion, the two most honest to the materials and the relationships were the Elk Grove kids and the GBW kids.

I will not be surprised in the slightest to see Baker and Carey on that stage next year or the year after.

Congrats to all of them though. Getting into finals is no easy task.

[Double B Dub]

I did not get to see many final rounds or any other performances at state. :bawling:
But I did get to see OC!!! I made it my mission the week before (sectionals) when Chris Rife, and Chris Skurka got robbed out of state.

And I saw the FINAL!!!
It was AMAZING! There was so much talent in that room! But there are some things I was disappointed in.

Though there was REALLY good competition, there were those who could have stayed at there sectional.

But the BIGGEST let down to me was the result. Zeyne is a personal friend of mine, and I was ESTATIC TO SEE HIM WIN! But he should not have beaten Travis, and to be honest KEVIN from Elk Grove was the best in the round hands down. HILARIOUS!!! HE WAS BY FAR THE FUNNIEST OC, IV EVER SEEN!!! His pops were indeed mediocre, but Zeyne proved by winning that pops were not to important this year in OC, so to me there is no reason at all he shouldn’t have won.

And there were those in the room that did not deserve to be there. I honestly think it would have been INSANE if Rife and Skurka were in the room, but what can ya do right...

As far as HDA goes I was in the round, I actually competed. And while we can argue for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. NO ONE! Can say that round didn’t BY FAR GO TO ELK GROVE!!! They were phenomenal!!! PLAIN AND SIMPLE!

[jayman]

Looking at something that sticks out to me- 22 finalists came out of the Warren Sectional- 11 of which finished 1st or 2nd and 5 state champions.

21 came out of the Reavis Sectional- 6 of which finished 1st or 2nd- 3 state champions

If my math is correct, that's 43 out of a possible 84 finalists. 8 out of the 13 champions. I'd say that 1. Those were clearly the most difficult sectionals 2. IHSA has continued to fail miserably at making this an even state tournament.

Add in the DGS Sectional- 22 finalists and now you have 65 out of 84.

Doesn't seem right at all.

[jayman]

"As far as HDA goes I was in the round, I actually competed. And while we can argue for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. NO ONE! Can say that round didn’t BY FAR GO TO ELK GROVE!!! They were phenomenal!!! PLAIN AND SIMPLE![/quote]

Graceful on your part and well stated.

[jayman]

One final thought- for tonight :)

Congrats to you Adam on your showing and your champion. Many many more to you in the future.

[Double B Dub]

One more thing!

Was it just me or was "Dog sees Gods” characters based of the "Charlie Brown" cartoon? Can some one please better explain to me what there piece is about?

[popper2014]

that HDA final was pretty ridiculous. I got out of there and had absolutely no idea how it was going to turn out. and in regards to the debate about placements for that final, the judges were all pretty torn as well. while I won't say my exact ranks, I will say that no two judges agreed on the same rank for my partner Jon and I.

so did anyone have a re-timed round? because that really must've sucked....

[TruRavenclaw]

Looking at something that sticks out to me- 22 finalists came out of the Warren Sectional- 11 of which finished 1st or 2nd and 5 state champions.

21 came out of the Reavis Sectional- 6 of which finished 1st or 2nd- 3 state champions

If my math is correct, that's 43 out of a possible 84 finalists. 8 out of the 13 champions. I'd say that 1. Those were clearly the most difficult sectionals 2. IHSA has continued to fail miserably at making this an even state tournament.

Add in the DGS Sectional- 22 finalists and now you have 65 out of 84.

Doesn't seem right at all.

Reposted for truth, justice, and liberty... and America.

In response to Dog Sees God... here's a wikipedia article on it!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Sees_God

Yay the internet!

[peacebone]

[quote=Double B Dub;120870]I did not get to see many final rounds or any other performances at state. :bawling:
But I did get to see OC!!! I made it my mission the week before (sectionals) when Chris Rife, and Chris Skurka got robbed out of state.



I did actually get to state! but Chris Skurka should have definitely been there this weekend competing.


All in all, I think we need to set more ground rules for OC, as far as what judges should be looking for. Should they be looking for the best written pieces? The most clever jokes? The most original characters and plots? The best technical performances? Or should they just go with what makes them laugh the most, even if the content is vulgar or offensive. Should actual content and performance skills get thrown to the dogs?

I say this because my prelim rounds at state had judging that was all over the place. Kids who went straight 6s in one round suddenly ended up getting a 3 in the next, and so on. A lot of the justification on my critiques were that other pieces were simply funnier, when it was clear that the pieces they ranked higher, though they did get good audience response, used tired plotlines, questionable content, or weren't able to pop as effectively as most. With rankings all over the place, it definitely seems that there is a problem to be fixed. Going 1-3-5 with three judges all watching the EXACT same PRELIM round is a sign. I believe that if judges had some sort of guidelines for what they should look for, it could fix a lot of these problems.

Now, I don't want anyone to start having a hissy fit, or people saying I'm saying these things because I wasn't in finals. It's not that at all. These are just some ideas I've been tossing around all season. It would make it much easier for future competitors in OC if we laid down the guide lines now.

[eaglecats]

I would like to add my 2 cents about HDA. This was one of the most competitve Final Rounds in HDA that I have seen in years. It really could have fallen any way and there would be no complaints. I would have had things slightly different. Here's what I thought.


1. Quatman/Connaghan
2. Skurka/Williamsen
3. Ingram/Carroll
4. Baker/Carey
5. Eisfeller/Armstrong
6. Hosseini/Ford
7. Sobule/Johnson
8. Bell/Harris

As far as the champions went.

I thought that DDA was amazing-although the scene was somewhat unbalanced
DI - Trey was good, but I thought Novy was going to win
Extemp- Just average
HDA - see above
HI - Pretty good, but I didn't feel it was a great year for HI
IS - Just okay
OD - Great speaker, interesting speech choice
OC - I thought any of about 4 could win
OO - It was more like an extemp speech than anything
PO - Not sure????
PR - Any of the 7 could have won. They were all really good
RS - Like any others
SOS - Didn't see the others, but was okay.

As far as teams go, I was happy to see a new school get a trophey Charleston. Warren should not be disappointed and Wheaton North did it with 3 in finals which is incredible. I don't even want to mentiion 1st. Clearly this year Warren and DGN were stronger teams, but with easy sectionals and then the politics that come into play DGS wins again. Maybe next year, we should just give them the trophey before regionals starts and then have a fun state tournament to see who can get 2nd.

[Double B Dub]

HI - Pretty good, but I didn't feel it was a great year for HI



I beg to differ, HI has been (to me) one of the toughest events of the year, with Darius, Alley, and Jonathan all in the same round must have been preeeety hectic.

[bwspeechteam]

One final thought- for tonight :)

Congrats to you Adam on your showing and your champion. Many many more to you in the future.

Thanks very much. I know that there were a few problems throughout the tournament, but overall I was very pleased with how it all came together.
And although scoring 11 points at state does not seem like much to some coaches who have been there, done that, it was huge for us. Actually, it's the most that a Belleville West team has scored.
I was especially happy for Jessica's success in both her events. It was a strange fact that she had been in national finals of the supplemental events three times (once sophomore year and twice last year) but not in a state final (although she should have made impromptu finals last year too). Everything in the past doesn't matter now. I can rest easy that she did well at state.

[bwspeechteam]

Looking at something that sticks out to me- 22 finalists came out of the Warren Sectional- 11 of which finished 1st or 2nd and 5 state champions.

21 came out of the Reavis Sectional- 6 of which finished 1st or 2nd- 3 state champions

If my math is correct, that's 43 out of a possible 84 finalists. 8 out of the 13 champions. I'd say that 1. Those were clearly the most difficult sectionals 2. IHSA has continued to fail miserably at making this an even state tournament.

Add in the DGS Sectional- 22 finalists and now you have 65 out of 84.

Doesn't seem right at all.

After we had a discussion about the strength of the sectionals on the forum, I was planning on making up a list myself; thanks for doing most of the work. :) The total breakdown around the state is below. I don't post this with any argument or agenda in mind; I'm not even arguing that this list is representative of any other year. (It's probably close, but I haven't done the work to show it.) Just for people's information that is available on speechwire anyway.

Warren -- 22 finalists -- 5 champions (DI, HDA, HI, RS, SOS)
Reavis -- 21 finalists -- 3 champions (DDA, OD, OO)
DGS -- 22 finalists -- 2 champion (OC, PR)
Benton -- 14 finalists -- 2 champions (ES, PO)
DeKalb -- 4 finalists -- 0 champions
Normal -- 1 finalist -- 1 champion (IMP)

[nowits_done]

[quote=Double B Dub;120870]I did not get to see many final rounds or any other performances at state. :bawling:
But I did get to see OC!!! I made it my mission the week before (sectionals) when Chris Rife, and Chris Skurka got robbed out of state.



I did actually get to state! but Chris Skurka should have definitely been there this weekend competing.


All in all, I think we need to set more ground rules for OC, as far as what judges should be looking for. Should they be looking for the best written pieces? The most clever jokes? The most original characters and plots? The best technical performances? Or should they just go with what makes them laugh the most, even if the content is vulgar or offensive. Should actual content and performance skills get thrown to the dogs?

I say this because my prelim rounds at state had judging that was all over the place. Kids who went straight 6s in one round suddenly ended up getting a 3 in the next, and so on. A lot of the justification on my critiques were that other pieces were simply funnier, when it was clear that the pieces they ranked higher, though they did get good audience response, used tired plotlines, questionable content, or weren't able to pop as effectively as most. With rankings all over the place, it definitely seems that there is a problem to be fixed. Going 1-3-5 with three judges all watching the EXACT same PRELIM round is a sign. I believe that if judges had some sort of guidelines for what they should look for, it could fix a lot of these problems.

Now, I don't want anyone to start having a hissy fit, or people saying I'm saying these things because I wasn't in finals. It's not that at all. These are just some ideas I've been tossing around all season. It would make it much easier for future competitors in OC if we laid down the guide lines now.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. I was so pissed off at reginals when my ranks when 2, 5, 8 and the one who gave me 8 told me my pops were too different and that I had too many characters.

I thought it was better to have wayyyy different characters and I hardly believe 9 different characters where 3 are only used for 1 minute of the piece individually then go away is alot considering I saw an OC with approximately 15 characters.

I honestly believe they just take random people to judge OC who know nothing about acting, popping, or a good story line and let them judge because they offered. We seriously need guidelines. I understand ranking by humor but there's more to an OC than humor; especially bad, cheap humor.

As a witness to the OC state finals I was kind of saddened. I think a majority of the OCs were of overdone storylines, unoriginal characters and bad pops. I don't know I just wasn't dazzled as I usually am with OC state finals. Don't get me wrong, they were all really good, I just didn't feel as if I were at state.

[4n6queen]

Here are my thoughts on the state results...
DDA- Wonderfully done, though the Charlie Brown plotline did bother me. Trey and Jon were also incredible and honestly i thought they deserved to win
DI-Trey was fantastic, I hadn't seen Tierra's but either of them would have been fantastic...
Extemp-I thought this was automatically going to Michael Lopesciolo, but again state proves us wrong. Jessica was fantastic, don't get me wrong, no one picked her so it was refreshing to hear someone who wasn't predicted
HDA- They were phenomenal all year and deserved to win state, I also agree Baker/Carey should have gotten higher than 5th
HI- Jon Sokolow, you are hysterical
Imp- He was funny, but his sources were a bit weak
Dec- Blake Morris is a phenomenal performer. Congrats on double champing! This was a tough final round but I agree with the rankings
Oratory- I agree this was more of an extemp than a good oratory. I saw Annie Larsen in prelims and she should have won hands down, I also thought Chelsea Rice-Davis' was far better as well.
OC- Zeyne was very funny, honestly I thought Jack Kehoe should have won, though. Again a tough final, I would have liked to have seen Chris Rife and Skurka in there. (Again, speech is sooo subjective)
Poetry- Too much of a prose, but Kevin Giffin is a phenomenal performer so he was able to pull it off
Prose- I don't agree with Lauren Campbell winning. She is fantastic, but the other pieces in that round such as Frank Austin's, Tess Mody's, and Mike Duffy's should have beaten her. Still though, congrats on pulling through that tough final Lauren! (I predicted it to be the most competitive)
Radio- Hats off to Shaina, who did not mess up once during the awards ceremony (I thought Iman Rahim would win, but if he didnt I thought Shaina would)
SOS- Tierra Novy is hilarious. Hands down the best SOS at state and a well deserved win (Benassi was also hysterical but like someone said earlier, Tierra commanded the room during that final while Benassi did not)

[TruRavenclaw]

High five 4n6queen since we're pretty much the same person haha...

[iago5]

Did anyone listen to the Radio Finals? I was not there so I have no clue how they went. But I was stalking SpeechWire and predicted the rankings as follows:

1.) Iman Rahim
2.) Shaina C.
3.) Brianne Paver
4.) Mike Duffy
5.) Imman Musa
6.) Claire Ford

I was obviously wrong. Anyone care to share what they heard and why I was wrong?

[chicagobears3]

i know it didnt make finals, but i saw a DDA called Bent in the prelims. i though it was amazing, and should have made finals. It easily could have kept up with the 1st and 2nd place ones. They actually beat one of the other DDA finalists in their sectional, and took 2nd to the state champs. Did anyone else see this?

[jeawagne]

Did anyone listen to the Radio Finals? I was not there so I have no clue how they went. But I was stalking SpeechWire and predicted the rankings as follows:

1.) Iman Rahim
2.) Shaina C.
3.) Brianne Paver
4.) Mike Duffy
5.) Imman Musa
6.) Claire Ford

I was obviously wrong. Anyone care to share what they heard and why I was wrong?

I heard the final and thought they had reversed the rankings when they announced at awards... Rahim/Paver should have been in the top spot.

I figured Shaina would get it regardless, since stuff like that happens all the time. She did fine... good but not great (clean but lacking that certain quality.) But the other three that ended up 2-4 all had significant problems (flubs and pronounciation issues) that the other three did not. Lots of strange judging all weekend.

[bwspeechteam]

Did anyone listen to the Radio Finals? I was not there so I have no clue how they went. But I was stalking SpeechWire and predicted the rankings as follows:

1.) Iman Rahim
2.) Shaina C.
3.) Brianne Paver
4.) Mike Duffy
5.) Imman Musa
6.) Claire Ford

I was obviously wrong. Anyone care to share what they heard and why I was wrong?

I wasn't in the round, but here's how the judges ranked it...

***EDIT.... nevermind.

[jeawagne]

Just my opinion, but a person's ranks should probably not be open to the public.

[bwspeechteam]

Just my opinion, but a person's ranks should probably not be open to the public.

I certainly wouldn't post comments from the critique that were meant just for the student, but the ranks are put in every team's packet. I guess I see it the same as the NFL posting online the ranks of all the competitors at the tournament.

No big deal; I'll just take them down.

[jeawagne]

I certainly wouldn't post comments from the critique that were meant just for the student, but the ranks are put in every team's packet. I guess I see it the same as the NFL posting online the ranks of all the competitors at the tournament.

No big deal; I'll just take them down.

Yeah, I've never been a fan of that NFL thing either. But like I said, that is all my opinion. NFA/AFA (college nationals) used to actually print judges entire critiques of the national champ in its academic journal -- I actually liked that.

[iago5]

Not to take anything away from Shaina or discredit her abilities, because I'm sure she gave a stellar performance, but I've heard Brianne Paver throughout the season and certainly don't think that she would give a 6th place quality speech. And not to mention Iman! He did so well in the regular season and regionals/sectionals! I expected both of them to place much, much higher (maybe not necessarily win, but do better than 5th and 6th.)

[theoriginalraider27]

some are saying that oc needs more rules and i have got to strongly disagree with those who feel that way. this subject is a gift for all of us who are on a speech team. we have the right to create a piece that we think is funny and preform it for a group of people for them to judge. you start putting guide lines up and then we start to lose our crativity. that being said for those , including my self, who write there own oc's. judging for them should be based on originality of the story and characters and just how funny it is. i won state this year, yes i didnt have the best pops in the room ( many people on this site have pointed that out) and im sure those people wanted someone else to win, and thats fine. my piece was original and funny. i won because the majority of the judges found my peice to be there favorite and thats what it comes down to. at tournaments we dont get lower ranks every time because we had a bad proformance or a stupid idea but because the judge enjoyed watching this one incomparison to that one. its all based on personal prefrence. so it is ok when a preformer goes 1-6-4 and there is a way to over come this, that is to try and please everyone. so if you have ever watched my proformance and didn't like it that is your oppion , but when i finish preforming i made sure that everyone had a chance to laugh and no one had there fellings hurt. :cool:

[peacebone]

Hi Zeyne! Congrats again!

My problem is that when personal preference seems to be the only thing that matters when judging an event, there is no way for a performer to truly hone his craft. There's no way for one person to possibly appeal to every judge he comes across. In every event except OC, there are basic guidelines or at least unwritten rules for a performer to strive towards. HI, cleanest pops, clear storylines etc. DI: Genuine emotions, clarity etc. And so on.

OC is just...be funny. And this is where the problem lies. Comedy is such a personal thing, and what is hilarious to one judge might be completely idiotic to another. Ranks will always be skewed if we are relying on personal preference to guide the judges' hands.

And about creativity being stunted by guidelines, I don't think that is true at all. Part of creativity is the ability to use the rules to your advantage and mess around with them, without totally going overboard.

[peacebone]

And the hissy fit begins...

First off, for the record, I have nothing against Zeyne winning state. He and I are pals, and I am proud to see him be very successful.

Secondly, the theme that someone is a robot has been around FOREVER. I think it's pretty hilarious that you think Spongebob is the only place that plot has ever been used and that I directly stole from it. I could probably go back to the 50s and point out movies, television shows and books where humans were mistaken for being robots. Personally, I believed I put my own spin on a tired plotline by adding in a parody of kid detectives and my own original jokes. Whether or not they were funny are up to the judges, not you, my dear friend. I had a good amount of success during the regular season, so I'm pretty sure your suggestion that my OC wasn't original or comedic is completely absurd.

Thirdly, my predictions were based on how people who were going to state had stacked up against eachother all season long. My predictions were Jack Kehoe, or myself, because we were the two that had the most invitational season success against the people who were performing at state. (This is going to totally sound like bragging, but whatever) I had outranked Zeyne, Travis Trew, Greer Burke-Anderson, and Jim Kane in tournaments leading up to state, so there is no reason that I should not have had a shot at least getting into that final round. (Now, I know you're going to say "But they changed their pieces since you saw them (expletive), so I'm just going to say it's ridiculous to think that I hadn't adjusted my piece leading up to and during the state series.)

Finally, if you actually bothered to read my posts (instead of joining FOL TODAY just to bash me), you would understand that my suggestion for OC guidelines have little to do with the results at state. Yes, I would've liked to have been in that final round, but I would rather see future OCers understand what they are supposed to do to be able to get to that state final, instead of leaving it ambiguous.

tl;dr You don't read posts, robot plot-lines have been around forever, I put a personal spin on it, predictions were based on invitational season results, Zeyne's awesome and I'm glad he won state.

[gwspeech]

Rife, your whole OC was stolen from an episode of Spongebob and it wasn't even funny...how can you predict yourself to win state in an event that must be both original and comedic...? They don't need new guidelines just because you didn't win. Zeyne's was the best. Get over it.
Signing up for a forum just to post once bashing someone? Classy. Really. If you didn't like his OC or his suggestions, that's fantastic. Blind accusations aside, the fact that the only real standard for OC is purely how funny it is gets brought up all the time in debate, just like in non-structured events like impromptu. Grow up or shut up.

[popper2014]

Ouch. That was a little harsh, abcdefg, don'tcha think? I agree with Chris wholeheartedly on this matter.

The robot concept has been around for ages....and so has the gay stereotype that predominated Zeyne's OC. Now I'm not saying that Zeyne doesn't deserve the state title because he does. He's pretty friggin' hilarious and knocked it out of the ballpark at state, so kudos to him and his final year in speech. But no one is going around complaining about how Zeyne used the gay theme in his OC, which is widely considered to be an overdone concept, so let's not accuse others of being unoriginal when there is plenty of less original material out there on the OC scene.

Also, Chris had just as good of a shot at the final and the championship as any other competitor in OC. Anyone who paid attention to the OC results throughout the season could tell you that Chris Rife was one of the top kids in the event and would most likely make the final. He was just being honest and realistic about the matter; speechwire does tell all.

And I suggest you write your own OC and do as well as Chris or Zeyne did this season. It's much harder than it looks, my friend.

[peacebone]

Well...now that the post is gone...

[theoriginalraider27]

Just one thing i did notice that was said, and thanks for all of the very kind words, i will be back next year because i am only a Jr. :cool:

[jeawagne]

Well...now that the post is gone...

Schweet, the censorship... ahem, I mean 'moderation' is back! Lemme know when we start burning books.

[Double B Dub]

and so has the gay stereotype that predominated Zeyne's OC. Now I'm not saying that Zeyne doesn't deserve the state title because he does. He's pretty friggin' hilarious and knocked it out of the ballpark at state, so kudos to him and his final year in speech.

totally agree with Zeyne! OC is a gift to Illinois, not many other states have this event (if any???) I think there is a pretty good guide line around OC "be funny" it’s just as simple as that. Giving it rules and standards would just make the event, EVEN SCARIER THAT IT IS! And that’s the last thing we need. i agree pops, and a nice story line, make the story look a lot prettier. But as far as, "rules" I don’t think they are necessary.

And as far as Chris Rife goes!!! pshhh! I haven’t seen his OC this year, but heard nothing but great things about it! And was pissed he didn’t get into finals! But they still have another rife to carry on the legacy!

Same thing goes for Chris Skurka, now I had the privilege to see this kid in action. And I was, to say the least. FASINATED!!! I wanted him to keep talking for 10 more minutes! I thought he was hilarious!

HIM AND RIFE WOULD HAVE RIPPED THAT FINAL ROUND APART! But things happen. We will figure out a premises soon enough.

[peacebone]

I really wish that post wasn't deleted, so that everyone could've seen that kid's could've cowardice...oh well.

Zeyne is going to be back next year, it's true. My brother will be in OC next year as well, so we'll see how it goes! It's going to be interesting, at the least...

[bwspeechteam]

I really wish that post wasn't deleted, so that everyone could've seen that kid's could've cowardice...oh well.

Zeyne is going to be back next year, it's true. My brother will be in OC next year as well, so we'll so it goes! It's going to be interesting, at the least...


You can still see it.

It's in post #39... gwspeech quoted it with his response. :D

[rkrboi]

I really wish our state/nats offered OC... It sounds awesome.

[peacebone]

First off, I have a first name. I find it disrespectful, when you are addressing me directly, to only call me by my last name.

I'm not on any high horse. I never claimed I was a perfect OC like you seem to think I'm saying. My pieces are far from perfect. The only reason I brought up those points is because judges never seem to take these kind of things into consideration (once again, THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE ABOUT STRICTER GUIDELINES FOR OC OTHER THAN "BE FUNNY"). I worked my tail off for months working on my OC, and I actually find it offensive that you think I stole it from other places. I have said it isn't a completely new idea, but comedy in all its forms draws from other resources. If you can name on piece in that final who's premise had not appeared in another form somewhere before, I'll glady back down and buy you a coke. I try not to bash people behind their backs. I like to think I'm a better person than that. People who actually know me know that I'm very open about OCs that I don't like, and if I do give someone a compliment about their work, I truly mean it.

Also, comparing a two-time Extemp state champion (an EXTREMELY structured event) to me in OC is a bit ridiculous, and highlights my own points even more. Hiding behind a screenname on FOL and not revealing who you are or what school you go to is FAR more cowardly than anything I have ever done.






And actually, I did tie for 1st in my sectional. :)

[peacebone]

Wow, once again, he's deleted.


Whoever is doing that, I appreciate the effort, but I'd rather have other people see what a fool this kid is making of himself.

[eaglecats]

Guys, The debate about OC has been going on for years. The best OC's certainly have all elements. The best OC's are funny, have great characters, and most important for me anyway, they tell an orignal story. I saw some at state that had some of these elements, but maybe not all. The OC that won the Reavis Sectional was very original, had all original characters and was funny. At state, however, his performance was not as strong as some of the others, which is why he did not make finals. Obvioulsy as in any event, much of this is open to what a judge might or might not like. The more formula OC becomes, the less creativity we can have. There have been OC state champions that were 100% original, there have also been some that had perfect imitations with no original characters, it just depends on the year and the judging panel. All of you should be happy for doing something that thousands of others wish they had an opportunity to do and that is compete at the state finals. The people who make finals are the ones that the judges like for that particular weekend. It does not mean that they are the best, just that they were the best in the eyes of the judges that saw them. Congrats to everyone who made it and lets make this a forum for discussion, not arguing and complaining.

[Double B Dub]

lets make this a forum for discussion, not arguing and complaining.


I agree. :D

Ok so how about??? Mmmmm??? SOS!!! Was it just me or was anyone else pissed that Bob Beland didn’t go to state in SOS! :afraid: (An event he had OWNED during the regular season)

[Mikefife]

If I was going to make a list of the top five people that should've made it to state (but didn't) it would look a little something like this

Bob Beland-SOS
Chris Skurka-OC

**Edit those other three are crazy people!

Unfortunate sectional assignments and some bad luck did away with them...

[Double B Dub]

If I was going to make a list of the top five people that should've made it to state (but didn't) it would look a little something like this

Bob Beland-SOS
Chris Skurka-OC
Danielle McCarthy-RS
Mitch Bley-RS
Sam Jones- Poetry

Unfortunate sectional assignments and some bad luck did away with them...



AHAHA!!! I think I found my twin. :biggrinz:

[peacebone]

AHAHA!!! I think I found my twin. :biggrinz:


make that triplets. Those 5 should've DEFINITELY been at state.

[jeawagne]

SOS: I saw this final round. It was good. I don't understand how Todd got 6th and Cecil got 5th... I would have ranked them one higher. But I called that for Tiera, she just owned the room, something that Benassi, though hilarious, didn't really pull off for me.



SOS- Tierra Novy is hilarious. Hands down the best SOS at state and a well deserved win (Benassi was also hysterical but like someone said earlier, Tierra commanded the room during that final while Benassi did not)

Ok, I need to say something about SOS, because what happened was just wrong.

Novy was fine (though I almost had to leave the room after the 17th pun in-a-row...) but Benassi was superior in so many ways -- smart humor, good research, an actual speech! It's too bad he had to go first, warming up a cold room for the rest of the round -- especially since his topic was so different and personal. With that risk alone he shifted the paradigm for the event, and definitely for the better.

[ChicagoSpeechMan]

Okay, so heres the thing. For the third year in a row a prose has won poetry. It started in 07 with Charleston and they are back doing it again. They are known for having great performers, those kids are talented! But they arnt using poetry. Did anyone else see the final. Michelle Bower was the most incredible verse reader I have ever seen and she had to have cut and spliced at least 4 poems together and used song, the charleston competitor just cut one poem and used it, is the process or materials not considered? Bower gave one of the most honest moving performances and used ALL poetry. Anybody else feel like Bower got robbed? Just wondering.

Also I missed the OC final can somebody give me a rundown of all of the competitors not just the ones people are debating over what about 3 4 5 6? Help a guy out.

[TruRavenclaw]

make that triplets. Those 5 should've DEFINITELY been at state.

Quadruplets! haha...

But Bob totally would totally have owned. Anyways, onto the topic of the final itself. I don't care how many puns she did, once again we find that humor is subjective (surprise)! I think she stayed true to herself in as much as last year she used puns in her speech as well (It Depends...). Also, I don't see how making jokes about Chlamydia or "volts of electricity" is smart humor exactly. Furthermore, going first is amazing. Sure, you get a cold room, but that just means you get to set the bar. Benassi's performance, though excellent, seemed lethargic and he seemed a little detached especially to people like me who sat in the back. Tuerra was able to speak, and as I've said earlier, command the room, even people like me all the way in the back. And I love her broken heart joke :).

Overall, the round was still good, and I saw Leslie Eiler there! AHHH!

[Double B Dub]

[quote=ChicagoSpeechMan;121163]Okay, so heres the thing. For the third year in a row a prose has won poetry. It started in 07 with Charleston and they are back doing it again. They are known for having great performers, those kids are talented! But they arnt using poetry. Did anyone else see the final. Michelle Bower was the most incredible verse reader I have ever seen and she had to have cut and spliced at least 4 poems together and used song, the charleston competitor just cut one poem and used it, is the process or materials not considered? Bower gave one of the most honest moving performances and used ALL poetry. Anybody else feel like Bower got robbed? Just wondering.
quote]


Yes she was pretty good. And dont get me wrong so was the champion, but like someone mentioned earlier, I didnt like the fact that he used the same exact voice for last years prose! And as ChicagoSpeechMan said, the fact that it wasnt really poetry :confused: its almost like IHSA has two prose champions. I must say he was a pretty good reader, just not the right material.

[FreakySpeechie]

AHAHA!!! I think I found my twin. :biggrinz:


Make that quints!
Haha.:D

[peacebone]

Kevin Giffin was a better prose champion than Lauren Campbell...

[TruRavenclaw]

Kevin Giffin was a better prose champion than Lauren Campbell...

Word. I'm still reeling.

[FreakySpeechie]

Kevin Giffin was a better prose champion than Lauren Campbell...


Sad, but true.

[Mikefife]

It was surprising...and strange that she won Prose because it was a pretty competitive event this year. I can't say I agree with the results, but she is a junior so we will see if she comes back next year and blows everyone away or if it was really just a fluke.

[hhernandezjr]

Jon Sokolow was good in HI, but I think first and second should have been switched. His British guy in the piece didn't fit. It was funny, but didn't work in the piece. It didn't fit. The physical humor was good too, but Ally Schweitzal's piece hit the mark. It also had more characters, thus showing more range. Oh well. Nothing we can do about it now.

[TruRavenclaw]

If by "british guy" you mean froggy... he's supposed to be British. A little Wikipedia cleared that up for me lol.