Illinois: The State Series

[TruRavenclaw]

Hey guys, thought we would separate the threads. Let's see some good, constructive observations. Remember don't say anything on this forum that you wouldn't say to that person's face.

[TruRavenclaw]

In terms of Regional's surprises [I don't really expect that many] I only saw one that caught my attention.

Gillian Giudice from Glenbrook South has had some good success this season [including winning DGS] and did not advance past the Mt. Prospect Regional. She did however pick up an OC and was a regional champion.

Other than that, I think another thing that always interests me is seeing the regional team for DGS. The team handily won their regional and with about 4 or 5 state champions/national finalists on their team, that isn't surprising.

On a random side note, I don't think I've mentioned this before but Chengary/Walsh's DDA is probably one of the best DDA's I've seen. It is pretty different from a lot of other DDA's in that the acting is a lot more real in it. I think they're the ones to beat at state.

In terms of other teams, it looks like it's going to be the usual suspects WWS, WN, Prospect, GBW will all meet up at the same sectional. DGS and Neuqua will be an interesting match up. Of course... the always ridiculous Thornton/Sandburg/Shepard sectional, that honestly I don't want to make any guesses about until after sectionals.

What did everyone else see? Any surprises? Things to look out for at state?

[theatreismymain]

I was speech wire stalking the DGN regional and a few others and I totally believe that Erin C Walsh and Billy Chengary are the ones to beat in DDA. I didn't recognize anyone else from the round except Dan Cassin who was in the DDA final that I watched last year. I hear that Erin's Dec is really good as well. But what I am wondering is who's gonna be the DI person. Colleen Derosa, last year's champ won her regional so that could be something, but what other DI's are out there.

[Ieader]

Another surprise I found was at the Oswego regional. Neuqua dominated, but they lost Joy Dhar in Info. (But she still has her Dec)

Regional is just another tournament, as long as people qualify there is another time people can place above one another.

I am also surprised to see John Arrington Jr. doing Dec again, double state champion?

Did anyone see great performances that were under-rated? That might have a shot at sectionals for state?

[AWNQ]

Another surprise I found was at the Oswego regional. Neuqua dominated, but they lost Joy Dhar in Info.

I was also both surprised and saddened by the loss of Joy Dhar in Info. I had seen her piece before Regionals and thought it was phenomenal, but I guess that's just how the State Series works.

As for people to look out for, I would definitely say Sam Niiro in Impromptu and Extemp. He's the only one that truly sticks out for me right now. Also, I am hoping to see the competition between Kaveri Sharma, Tim Krentz, and Jabookie Young-White at State (Provided the all make it) in SOS.

[Speecher12]

There are some events that I think will have people really duking it out for state champ this year! With a ton of people close to undefeated in their events, it will be interesting to see people together.
Wheaton North has three real power players: Danny Gonzalez in OC and HDA, Tim Krentz in HDA in SOS, and Phil McClure in OD and OO. I think OC will be a battle between Michelle McCarthy from DGS, Danny from WN, and Jaboukie Young-White from Marian because they're all really talented performers with scripts that are very different, but all very dynamic.
Same with HDA: I imagine that between Jacqueline Dunderdale and Connor Fitzgerald from Prospect, Tim and Danny from WN, and Dan Leahy and Erin Walsh from DGS it will be a very competitive state final.
I'm guessing SOS will be between Jaboukie, Tim, and Kaveri Sharma from Neuqua, but obviously anything can happen.
What other events will be crazy competitive this year? I am always surprised with who makes it through the State Series, it will be interesting to see how this year plays out.

[Ramsey Hendricks]

Wes humphrey is someone to look out for in OC at state! He has won every tounament he has competed at with it going straight ones all day.

[typingthings]

Wes humphrey is someone to look out for in OC at state! He has won every tounament he has competed at with it going straight ones all day.

Where is Wes from?

Also, on the subject of OC, I really think Vince Doria from Oak Lawn is a great performer all around.
If anyone gets a chance, he is very fun to watch and I recommend seeing it

The HF sectional will be bloody. So much talent with so little spots. I'm looking forward to see how extemp plays out too. Marist has a very talented extemper.

[silentsly]

Where is Wes from?

Also, on the subject of OC, I really think Vince Doria from Oak Lawn is a great performer all around.
If anyone gets a chance, he is very fun to watch and I recommend seeing it

The HF sectional will be bloody. So much talent with so little spots. I'm looking forward to see how extemp plays out too. Marist has a very talented extemper.


Yeah this saturday will be an absolute blood bath, Shepard Richards and Oak Lawn all have good performers this year, and the top 4 to watch out for in OC are Jabooki (sorry for the misspelling) Vince, and Samm Hilger. But we'll have to wait and see.

[tbgabby]

and the top 4 to watch out for in OC are Jabooki (sorry for the misspelling) Vince, and Samm Hilger. But we'll have to wait and see.You said 4, but listed 3. Who's the 4th?

[sander]

Have there been any really strong HI competitors this year?

[silentsly]

Oh i forgot to mention John Zalhman, for both OC and HI.

[typingthings]

Have there been any really strong HI competitors this year?

Oh yeah.
As previously mentioned, John zahlman is definitely one to look out for. He is very clean with pops and characters. Also, Aubree tally from lemont, and Rahul Jacob from Sandburg are gonna be tough competition.
I'd say they are the strongest competitors as far as the hf sectional goes, at least. But there might be some surprises as too the competition, of course.

[Chris325]

Wes humphrey is someone to look out for in OC at state! He has won every tounament he has competed at with it going straight ones all day.

According to Speechwire he's from Bloomington High School. Don't see any other tournaments besides the regional though.

[Original]

We should all keep in mind there are more sectionals than just that of HF. The Downer's Grove South Sectional looks like it will be tough, with DGS leading the way with Billy Chengary, Colleen Derosa, Michelle McCarthy, Erin C. Walsh et al. DGS did lose an OO though, which is pretty surprising.

But it does seem like HF will have stiffer competition. One thing guaranteed, that DI final round will probably be one of the most talent packed finals in IHSA on Saturday. Anna Jurevicuite, Mike Sequeria, Jason Warrior, and Destin Patton-Warner all have very impressive seasons--and other people will come up from nowhere--it will be the hands down toughest event.

Just counting team results, there's almost no way Oak Lawn, Thornton, Marian, Shepard, and Richards will all get a majority of kids through. It's going to be a rough one.

[KeeganBosch]

Tomorrow night I'm planning on posting a full prediction for the HF Sectional (I won't post DI or either of my events; radio or impromptu; as I don't want my team connections to bias my ratings) :p.

However, I want to see other peoples' expectations! Who do you think will be representing HF at state? With 168 worthy competitors and only 42 state spots available, who will come out of the bloodbath still standing!?

[silentsly]

Something we need to keep in mind, HF isnt the only sectional. The DGS sectional sounds like it will be interesting (even though Im going to the HF sectional) I kind of want to see what will happen at DGS, but I want to root for my team at HF. Plus im in PIR so I dont really have a choice :P But state every year is always between the 2 sectionals and while DGS may prevail, I honestly think Marian has a fair shot this year. Just my opinion.

[KeeganBosch]

Alright, here we go!
(Note: I am making these predictions 100% based on season averages. These are the stastically determined "winners" of the HF Sectional, not who I personally think is best. Also, the top three are listed in random order, the order is not indicative of projected final placements.)

No matter what happens tomorrow, best of luck to everybody competing. To make it to sectionals at all is a huge honor that many people never get, so no matter how you place tomorrow HAVE FUN DOING IT!

Here goes:

DDA-
Aubree Tally and Kevin Driscoll - Lemont
Jacqueline McNoughton and Michael Sequiera - Oak Lawn
Amy Quinlan and Kevin Garner - Shepard

Extemp- (Ended up being the 3 first places at regionals)
Isiah Sciford - Homewood-Flossmore
Josh Timm - Lemont
Hannah Jarmon - Shepard

HDA-
Alyssa Zaczek and Pat Kelly - Sandburg
Kenny Garner and Matt Gainer - Shepard
Emily Salomone and Stephen Childers - Oak Lawn

HI-
Too many personal connections to speak comfortably on the subject, though I'm cheering for Courtneigh Summerise from Marian

INF-
Honestly, 3rd place in INFO is anybody's game, however I'm comfortable saying first and second will be...(in no particular order)
John Arrington Jr. from Thornton being a CLEAR choice for first with a nearly flawless season.
and Julia Boyle from Oak Lawn with a similarly incredible season.

DEC-
John Arrington Jr - Thornton
Heather Afriyie - Bolingbrook
Andrea Azem - Richards (Oak Lawn)

OC- again, I have too many friends to call this, but I'm rooting for Jaboukie Young-White from Marian and Aram Rayzian from Plainfield North

OO -
Amy Cyze - Richards (Oak Lawn)
Cooper Packard - Marian
and another crapshoot for third place. Once again, anybody's game, statistically speaking.

PIR -
Since there's no invitational season for PIR, it's hard to call this, but good luck to all 12 competitors!


PO-
Jason Warrior - Richard (Oak Lawn)
Glorielle Williams - Shepard
Fred Jones - Thornton
[All three with incredible invitational records. If you don't make finals tomorrow, this is THE EVENT TO GO WATCH. I honestly believe any of these three competitors can and will win state. They're unbelievable]

PR-
Honestly, the only big standout here is Lauren Rasch from Sandburg, otherwise Prose is anybody's game. (pt. 3)

SOS-
Jaboukie Young-White - Marian (I know I mentioned earlier he's a good friend of mine, but he's my only friend in SOS, so I'll still do SOS. I mean...come on...his season is unbelievable so far!)
Kassy DeGrado - Reavis (also an incredible season)
aaaaand from there, really anybody's game for a last medal.


So that's it! Unbiased, stastically-determined results for tomorrow's HF sectional. Remember, these are just for fun. And although it's awesome to see yourself mentioned on here, and it's awesome to see how amazing some of these competitors are, we're all here to compete because we love to compete. If you weren't mentioned, that BY NO MEANS means that you have no shot. I'll probably be wrong about a lot of things, but at least I did things fairly, right? =D

No matter what, let's go out there and kick some *** tomorrow, and no matter what, I'm confident in saying that the HF sectional will be the best represented in state finals this year, and I'm proud to say I competed with the incredible performers in this sectional.

Now get to bed, tomorrow's a big day ;)

-Keegan

[harfyn]

Something we need to keep in mind, HF isnt the only sectional. The DGS sectional sounds like it will be interesting (even though Im going to the HF sectional) I kind of want to see what will happen at DGS, but I want to root for my team at HF. Plus im in PIR so I dont really have a choice :P But state every year is always between the 2 sectionals and while DGS may prevail, I honestly think Marian has a fair shot this year. Just my opinion.



I doubt Marian will place Top 3 at state. They have some very strong competitors, but they're not really on the same level as DGS. Also, Wheaton North is stronger than normal, and WWS and GBW will definitely have strong showings at state, as they always do. Of course, I'm not even Mentioning the other schools at HF, because there are just too many to talk about...

I'm excited to see how tomorrow turns out, because if any schools get six or more out of HF, they could place at state.

[Chris325]

Whether you're gonna be at Benton, Homewood-Flossmoor, Hoffman Estates, Rochelle, Olympia, or DGS tomorrow, the best of luck to you. In less than 12 hours the first competitors are going to be nodding to their first round judges... so I'm going to follow Keegan's advice here...

[Impromptufreak4]

Tomorrow will be an extreme bloodbath. Good luck to everybody competing tomorrow, wish you the best!

I think no one team will dominate tomorrow, it will be an extreme mix of talent, which will be very interesting. Specific events:

DDA:
Lemont
Oak Lawn
Shepard

DI:
Richards
Shepard
Bolingbrook

ES:
Lemont
Homewood-Flossmoor
Thornridge

HDA:
Shepard
Marian
Sandburg

HI:
Lemont
Richards
Shepard

Imp:
Oak Lawn
Marian
Richards

Info:
Thornton
Oak Lawn
Lincoln-Way East

Dec:
Thornton
Bolingbrook
Shepard

OC:
Sandburg
Marian
Shepard

OO:
Richards
Marian
Lemont

Poetry:
Richards
Thornton
Shepard

Prose:
Oak Lawn
Shepard
Marian

Radio:
Plainfield Central
Marian
Lincoln-Way East

SOS:
Marian
Richards
Reavis

Like Keegan said, anything can happen, and these were based statistically on who's been the most consistent. Good luck to everybody, I'm sure everyone will do great tomorrow! Have fun and don't hold anything back :)

[TruRavenclaw]

I'll take a closer look at Sectional Results tomorrow... but in the meantime. Top 3 Teams at the HF sectional: 41 points, 40.5 points, 40 points. Are you kidding me?! That's ridiculous.

In the meantime. To everyone moving on, congratulations! And to everyone else, it's really easy to be bitter and write anonymous comments on this forum. But make sure you take the time to simmer down, look at a the situation from a different perspective and definitely respect the work that everyone has done thus far in the season =]

What did everyone see? And what should we keep an eye out for at state?

[KeeganBosch]

Congratulations to anyone and everyone who broke through to state this weekend!
I can't wait to see you all in Peoria soon!
And to anybody who made finals but not state, (especially at HF), YOU'RE STILL AMAZING! I feel honored to have even competed in the HF Impromptu Final. It was such an unbelievable talent pool in that final, I'm so proud to have been a part of something so amazing.

So congratulations on all the hard work this year, now let's keep it up and see some incredible competition at state! =D

[harfyn]

I'll take a closer look at Sectional Results tomorrow... but in the meantime. Top 3 Teams at the HF sectional: 41 points, 40.5 points, 40 points. Are you kidding me?! That's ridiculous.

In the meantime. To everyone moving on, congratulations! And to everyone else, it's really easy to be bitter and write anonymous comments on this forum. But make sure you take the time to simmer down, look at a the situation from a different perspective and definitely respect the work that everyone has done thus far in the season =]

What did everyone see? And what should we keep an eye out for at state?


Marian and shepard tied for first with forty one, so they had to go back and do some speech magic to figure out how to break the tie. I'm guessing judges preference.

[KeeganBosch]

Marian and shepard tied for first with forty one, so they had to go back and do some speech magic to figure out how to break the tie. I'm guessing judges preference.

Actually, they scratched judges preference to send more kids to state. There were no two-way ties, but two three-way ties, so they decided to give those ties the chance to prove themselves at state and forgo judge preference. However, in a three way tie, each team involved gets 1/2 of a point, leaving the top three teams with an incredibly slim half-point margin.

(in my records defense, if they had done tie-breakers, I would have taken second anyways. :P)

[jayman]

Actually, they scratched judges preference to send more kids to state. There were no two-way ties, but two three-way ties, so they decided to give those ties the chance to prove themselves at state and forgo judge preference. However, in a three way tie, each team involved gets 1/2 of a point, leaving the top three teams with an incredibly slim half-point margin.

(in my records defense, if they had done tie-breakers, I would have taken second anyways. :P)

This is confusing. Sectionals can't forgo the state rules in order to send more kids to state. They don't break ties for third place, but they have to for first and second (unless they are unbreakable). Maybe I'm just not understanding you though. Congrats to all who made it through and best of luck at state!

[KeeganBosch]

This is confusing. Sectionals can't forgo the state rules in order to send more kids to state. They don't break ties for third place, but they have to for first and second (unless they are unbreakable). Maybe I'm just not understanding you though. Congrats to all who made it through and best of luck at state!

confuses me as well...the radio tie was definitely breakable...the third place tie in DEC was unbreakable, however. I honestly don't know what happened. All I know is what flossmore's coach said on stage during awards. And what the ranks said.

[Veteran747]

what confuses me is what is the point of the invite season? Someone can literally win every single tournament up untill sectionals and get a random 6 and not break finals/state. Its cruel to the people who are so talented but don't make state. It kills me and I feel so incredibly sad and angry for those who spends days upon weeks upon months working on a piece that brutally ends by the rank of a judge. its sad.

so to those who didn't make it--- your hard work won't go unrewarded nor forgotten

[speechnerd]

So what do you guys think were the biggest suprises of the sectional tourneys?

[Impromptufreak4]

So what do you guys think were the biggest suprises of the sectional tourneys?
I think Jason Warrior and Josh Timm not breaking into finals (Jason Warrior in DI) at all were some pretty big surprises.

[KeeganBosch]

Now I know there has been a lot of discussion about this already, but I want to know how people think others will fare against Jaboukie Young-White in state, in terms of OC.

Now, as I've already stated, Jaboukie is a good friend of mine, but personal bias aside, I had a chance to watch his OC yesterday and it was the greatest OC I have ever seen. However, I have heard a few other names flying around and I want to know opinions on how others have a chance against his piece!

Simply stated, I feel that Jaboukie's piece achieves what every OC-er is reaching for: the light at the end of the tunnel. In every OC, there is the "moral" at the end, and that's a big part of what State Series judges are looking for. But in all the other pieces I saw and have seen, the moral felt awkward or forced (even in past state winners, I have felt this way. i.e. Zeyne Guzelderli [another friend of mine, so no offense is meant by this] in his piece I felt like the "AND I'LL BE MYSELF WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT" was too blunt and obvious to truly have any impact on the viewer. It was there, but at the end of his piece; as incredibly strong as it was technically and comically; you didn't leave with anything deeper than "that guy was funny"). However, in Jaboukie's piece, I left with "wow...that really touched me" and I think for a high school student to be able to achieve such a level of subtlety and depth in both his characters and the morality of a piece that, at the same time, makes you nearly pee your pants laughing, is an incredible thing in itself. Not to mention his tech was flawless when I saw him perform second round.

So who has an argument for one of the OCs that I haven't seen? I wanna see what sets other competitors apart in this event!

-Keegan

[tbgabby]

Marian and shepard tied for first with forty one, so they had to go back and do some speech magic to figure out how to break the tie. I'm guessing judges preference.

They didn't. There were a couple ties, and so the way the points were divided ended up giving some half points. Or something along those lines. The woman running it explained how that happened, but I don't remember the exact details.

Sorry if anyone addressed this already, by the time I realized someone may have covered it I was here and had no motivation to go check. ahah. :P

EDIT: Oh, it has been. Woops. I don't think they're forgo-ing the rules. My guess is that the rankings must have been extremely odd that led to a three-way tie for second that they couldn't break. Because I'm sure that if they could break it, they would have. Either way, I highly doubt they'd disregard the rules and I'm just glad for everyone who's advancing to state.

[harfyn]

They didn't. There were a couple ties, and so the way the points were divided ended up giving some half points. Or something along those lines. The woman running it explained how that happened, but I don't remember the exact details.

Sorry if anyone addressed this already, by the time I realized someone may have covered it I was here and had no motivation to go check. ahah. :P

EDIT: Oh, it has been. Woops. I don't think they're forgo-ing the rules. My guess is that the rankings must have been extremely odd that led to a three-way tie for second that they couldn't break. Because I'm sure that if they could break it, they would have. Either way, I highly doubt they'd disregard the rules and I'm just glad for everyone who's advancing to state.


I talked to several coaches, and Marian had no ties. The tie for first was broken some other way, apparently, but I'm not friends with any of the people in the tab room, so I don't know how the tie was broken.

I do agree about Jaboukie's OC, though. It is not the funniest piece out there though. Samm Hilger's is hilarious, but it doesn't really have a point. And the writing isn't very creative.

[tbgabby]

I talked to several coaches, and Marian had no ties. The tie for first was broken some other way, apparently, but I'm not friends with any of the people in the tab room, so I don't know how the tie was broken.



Hm, looking at Speechwire you're right. In which case, I have no clue. My coach was in the tab room so I'll have to see if I can find out. Interesting.

On a side note, did anyone see SOS finals (or rounds)? I'd really like to know what Pat Kelly's piece was about, I saw all but the first two since I watched the first 3 Infos. That final round was crazy what with 8 finalists. I was pleasantly surprised to see Enrique Montoya advance. I hadn't thought it would (not for any lack of content or ability in his performance or a piece) but because I didn't really think that presenting to illegal immegrants on a bus would hold up for the state series. I'm very happy for all those who did advance despite our own schools loss in SOS.

[KeeganBosch]

I talked to several coaches, and Marian had no ties. The tie for first was broken some other way, apparently, but I'm not friends with any of the people in the tab room, so I don't know how the tie was broken.

I do agree about Jaboukie's OC, though. It is not the funniest piece out there though. Samm Hilger's is hilarious, but it doesn't really have a point. And the writing isn't very creative.

I have not seen Hilger's piece, but clearly he's talented to make it this far. However, I feel like on the state level, especially at state finals, the purpose and creativity matters, and I can't imagine anybody beats Jaboukie in creative and purposeful.

[speechnerd]

I think OC will ultimately come down to these performers:

Jaboukie Young-White
Michelle McCarthy
Danny Gonzalez
Samm Hilger

I have seen 3 of the 4 (not Samm Hilger, but I hope to see it at state), and to be totally honest I'd give it to Michelle. Her OC is hilarious, has a strong structure and moral, and is definately one of the cleanest OC's I've ever seen in terms of pops, etc. Jaboukie's is great and I agree that it has a very strong moral, but I just didn't feel as drawn to it. I think a few of the jokes, funny as they may be, are a bit on the cheap inappropriate humor side (like all the sperm jokes, okay I get that you are playing a sperm and it is a fairly funny concept, so you don't have to keep making sperm jokes) where as Michelle doesn't take any cheap routes in her OC at all. It'll be tough, but I feel like Michelle has a real chance of double state champing in both OC and HI.

Then again, I predicted Jake Robertson or John Junk to win it all last year and they threw Mikey Tito at me, so who knows.

[harfyn]

One of the bigger surprises to me was not seeing the Prospect HDA make it out. I watched it at DGS, and it was quite good... I definitely expected it to Top 3 at state. It was just very funny and well done, and I think the piece was very new and fresh. Very dissapointed not to see them make it out, but I am happy they both made it in their respective individual events.

OC will be very tough. But it really isn't the only event out there... So can we talk about some other things? Has anyone seen any of the stuff from the Hoffman Estates section? WWS, WN, and GBW are all extremely strong teams this year, but I haven't seen that many of their performances. Also, I was wondering if anyone knew any stuff about any Belleville things. I mean, Eli Bernstein is definitely going to be doing well in IMP and ES, but what other competitors of theirs are good? They are another team that could definitely come out of nowhere, what with Vondell and Eli both being strong competitors, they would only need one or two more strong people to be in contention for top 3 at state.

[KeeganBosch]

Alright, let's have this conversation:

Since I'm in Radio this weekend, I wanna know how people feel about the event at state this year. With many talented broadcasters not breaking to state; (Chris O'Maera, Elizabeth Davies, Cora Georgieu, etc.); what will happen in the state tournament? Who do you think will be the top six? Top three? State champion? A lot of extremely talented competitors with great seasons will be broadcasting this weekend, and I personally think anybody could take the 1. So who will it be?

[Impromptufreak4]

Radio will be extremely competitive at state finals. Summer Fields, yourself, Maggie Wheaton, and Brooke Sommerfield all look like major competitors. As far as ES and IMP go, I think Sam Niiro is still the man that will dominate the state final, but other performers also have a great chance, namely Allison Lonigro and Dennis Lynch. Even though I personally won't be down at state this weekend, good luck to everyone performing. I'm sure it will be an outstanding state final.

[Ieader]

Radio is quite unpredictable? Can't wait to see how it plays out at state!

However, I was surprised when I watched OO finals at HF. All the performers were great speakers...but I couldn't help stop and think...this is an info round.
I performed OO last year at the Reavis sectional and things have certainly changed. Cooper Packard's speech discussed red meat...its causes and effects on society...while Taylor Spencer analyzed Vaccinations and its importance.

I hope they do really well at state, but how is this an OO? I didn't really get why they are trying to persuade me on vaccinations and red meat. Either way, it will be interesting how they stack up against other OO's from Wheaton and DGN. I didn't really like where OO was going in the HF sectional, but this 'new' OO style might be the new thing to win state. However, I could be wrong, OO might be fine right where it is...and we will see at state.

Any other predictions on who is going to win the state titles in each event? Who will be fighting for a finals spot?

Before reading the following: realize that every single person has an equal shot on winning and getting to finals. My predictions are MY PREDICTIONS, you can love them or hate them...but they are predictions...anything can happen.

Congrats on anyone who made state!
Good luck out there and represent your sectional well.



PIR? Easily Push by Thornwood. I didn't like the attitude after their performance, but holy...if this doesn't win, I don't know what will.

For DDA, DGS looks like the one to beat...but someone else is performing 'The Shadow Box'...the HF and Hoffman sectional ranking was quite unstable, but some of those performances were amazing.

DI, I cannot really comment because there is just way too much talent involved. Colleen won state a few years back, maybe she can do it again.

Extemp: Sam Niiro taking 1st. However, sectional was a flop, but that doesn't mean state isn't going to be one either. (It was probably an off day) Emily Temple Wood, I am rooting for you to dominate also! Good luck to everyone else, even people who are predicted to win have off days, and it can go to anyone during state

HDA: Looks like people have always been dominating...winning their regional...then their sectional...wait there is only one state champion...I'd give the nod to DGS, but I heard the Marian HDA was superb in both pops and performance overall...expect a close fight!

HI: Lots of talent here, but I expect Michelle from DGS and Samm from Shepard to easily be the butter all over the bread at state. I could be wrong, but most of the state qualifiers are using scripts we usually see at state...the two scripts I just mentioned, haven't been at state in quite awhile

Impromptu: Sam Niiro and Eli Bernstein. Alex Buckley has a shot to make a surprise from DGN...but I'd put my money on the first two on winning state...and I would not look back.

Info: Joy Dhar isn't here? What? Well, that leaves John Arrington Jr. (Dec state champ) and all six competitors from Hoffman and DGS...but I will gladly say John Arrington for Info...I mean come on...you just don't win that many tournaments, and not win state...

Dec at the HF sectional was amazing, and I am glad 5 people made it through. However Erin C. Walsh is looking to win from DGS along with Vondell after receiving 2nd in both OO and Dec last year at state.

OC: Samm Hilger, Danny Gonzales, and Michelle McCarthy each deserve to be state champion...but there can only be one. (If someone outside of these three comes out on top...judging must be quite odd). Which ever the judges prefer in that finals round will determine the state champion... subjectivity...sigh.

OO: Phil McClure vs. Vondell Burns. It is going to be quite a battle there at state. Watch anyone from the DGS sectional to sneak a spot in finals...OO from the HF sectional was quite different from any OO finals round I have seen at state, regionals, or local tournaments...they might make a statement.

Poetry: Not familiar with the big names, but I would gladly put money on anyone from the HF and DGS sectional.

Prose: Allie Long, Colleen Derosa, and anyone from the HF and Hoffman sectional. I assume each and everyone of these competitors are going to be above all the rest.

Radio: Keegan Bosch and Summer Fields look like the one's to beat here. Watch out for Danielle Zarbin to make an upset.

SOS: Pat Kelly, Kaveri Sharma, and Jaboukie are the top dogs here. But I wouldn't be surprised if an upset happened from a person I am not familiar with.

Good Luck to everyone performing at state.
Sorry that I didn't give much feedback to the other sectionals...but that is why other sectionals get more rep than others...because they churn out more state champions than others.

Remember that anyone can win, it is state.

I hope everyone performs their best.
Make this state series the hardest it has ever been!

[sander]

Radio is quite unpredictable? Can't wait to see how it plays out at state!

However, I was surprised when I watched OO finals at HF. All the performers were great speakers...but I couldn't help stop and think...this is an info round.
I performed OO last year at the Reavis sectional and things have certainly changed. Cooper Packard's speech discussed red meat...its causes and effects on society...while Taylor Spencer analyzed Vaccinations and its importance.

I hope they do really well at state, but how is this an OO? I didn't really get why they are trying to persuade me on vaccinations and red meat. Either way, it will be interesting how they stack up against other OO's from Wheaton and DGN. I didn't really like where OO was going in the HF sectional, but this 'new' OO style might be the new thing to win state. However, I could be wrong, OO might be fine right where it is...and we will see at state.

Any other predictions on who is going to win the state titles in each event? Who will be fighting for a finals spot?

Before reading the following: realize that every single person has an equal shot on winning and getting to finals. My predictions are MY PREDICTIONS, you can love them or hate them...but they are predictions...anything can happen.

Congrats on anyone who made state!
Good luck out there and represent your sectional well.



PIR? Easily Push by Thornwood. I didn't like the attitude after their performance, but holy...if this doesn't win, I don't know what will.

For DDA, DGS looks like the one to beat...but someone else is performing 'The Shadow Box'...the HF and Hoffman sectional ranking was quite unstable, but some of those performances were amazing.

DI, I cannot really comment because there is just way too much talent involved. Colleen won state a few years back, maybe she can do it again.

Extemp: Sam Niiro taking 1st. However, sectional was a flop, but that doesn't mean state isn't going to be one either. (It was probably an off day) Emily Temple Wood, I am rooting for you to dominate also! Good luck to everyone else, even people who are predicted to win have off days, and it can go to anyone during state

HDA: Looks like people have always been dominating...winning their regional...then their sectional...wait there is only one state champion...I'd give the nod to DGS, but I heard the Marian HDA was superb in both pops and performance overall...expect a close fight!

HI: Lots of talent here, but I expect Michelle from DGS and Samm from Shepard to easily be the butter all over the bread at state. I could be wrong, but most of the state qualifiers are using scripts we usually see at state...the two scripts I just mentioned, haven't been at state in quite awhile

Impromptu: Sam Niiro and Eli Bernstein. Alex Buckley has a shot to make a surprise from DGN...but I'd put my money on the first two on winning state...and I would not look back.

Info: Joy Dhar isn't here? What? Well, that leaves John Arrington Jr. (Dec state champ) and all six competitors from Hoffman and DGS...but I will gladly say John Arrington for Info...I mean come on...you just don't win that many tournaments, and not win state...

Dec at the HF sectional was amazing, and I am glad 5 people made it through. However Erin C. Walsh is looking to win from DGS along with Vondell after receiving 2nd in both OO and Dec last year at state.

OC: Samm Hilger, Danny Gonzales, and Michelle McCarthy each deserve to be state champion...but there can only be one. (If someone outside of these three comes out on top...judging must be quite odd). Which ever the judges prefer in that finals round will determine the state champion... subjectivity...sigh.

OO: Phil McClure vs. Vondell Burns. It is going to be quite a battle there at state. Watch anyone from the DGS sectional to sneak a spot in finals...OO from the HF sectional was quite different from any OO finals round I have seen at state, regionals, or local tournaments...they might make a statement.

Poetry: Not familiar with the big names, but I would gladly put money on anyone from the HF and DGS sectional.

Prose: Allie Long, Colleen Derosa, and anyone from the HF and Hoffman sectional. I assume each and everyone of these competitors are going to be above all the rest.

Radio: Keegan Bosch and Summer Fields look like the one's to beat here. Watch out for Danielle Zarbin to make an upset.

SOS: Pat Kelly, Kaveri Sharma, and Jaboukie are the top dogs here. But I wouldn't be surprised if an upset happened from a person I am not familiar with.

Good Luck to everyone performing at state.
Sorry that I didn't give much feedback to the other sectionals...but that is why other sectionals get more rep than others...because they churn out more state champions than others.

Remember that anyone can win, it is state.

I hope everyone performs their best.
Make this state series the hardest it has ever been!
Great great great predictions, only thing for my is I think Phillip McClure also has a shot at Dec and Ellie Wyant has been doing really well in poetry

Also, kind of off topic, my coach mentioned that it's illegal according to ihsa rules to mention any sort of bodily fluid like peeing or vomiting.. at least in interp events. Does anyone know if that's actually true because I looked through the ihsa rule book and didn't find anything.

[bwspeechteam]

Great great great predictions, only thing for my is I think Phillip McClure also has a shot at Dec and Ellie Wyant has been doing really well in poetry

Also, kind of off topic, my coach mentioned that it's illegal according to ihsa rules to mention any sort of bodily fluid like peeing or vomiting.. at least in interp events. Does anyone know if that's actually true because I looked through the ihsa rule book and didn't find anything.

there used to be a rule against mentioning bodily fluids, but it was eliminated several years ago. I think it resulted in some weird, unintended rules challenges, though I don't know the specfics.

and FYI, performance order is up for every event. http://www.speechwire.com/r-ihsa-speakingorder.php

[jayman]

Great great great predictions, only thing for my is I think Phillip McClure also has a shot at Dec and Ellie Wyant has been doing really well in poetry

Also, kind of off topic, my coach mentioned that it's illegal according to ihsa rules to mention any sort of bodily fluid like peeing or vomiting.. at least in interp events. Does anyone know if that's actually true because I looked through the ihsa rule book and didn't find anything.


I think it used to say something like naming any body part or body function... the online rule book doesn't say it. It does say: " performance (language or action)which is a literal, symbolic or colloquialexpression describing or naming anything whichis profane and/or vulgar, whether or not suited toa specific character being portrayed, IS ALWAYSCONSIDERED INAPPROPRIATE! "

I feel like this was perhaps a change to reflect the silly vomit induced protests.

On a side note- I know lots of people will say that things like "they all deserve to win state" or "so and so deserved it but.." Lets remember- the invitational season is only practice in Illinois. Lots of kids have lots of different experiences with winning during the year. That doesn't make them any more deserving than anyone else. It's what you do in the final round at state- that counts. The kids that do the best in those rounds are the ones who deserved it. Lets remember that too.

Here's to the underdogs this week and all of the other qualifiers as well. Best of luck.

[harfyn]

DI was the only one IEader didn't mention, So I'm just gonna go ahead and predict Dan Cassin From Hinsdale Central. He is absolutely astoundingly good. One of the most believable, natural, powerful pieces I've seen this year. And what You said about OC, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them didn't even break. OC is probably one of the harder events this year... All the competitors are very good.

[jayman]

DI was the only one IEader didn't mention, So I'm just gonna go ahead and predict Dan Cassin From Hinsdale Central. He is absolutely astoundingly good. One of the most believable, natural, powerful pieces I've seen this year. And what You said about OC, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them didn't even break. OC is probably one of the harder events this year... All the competitors are very good.


Best of luck to all. Play nice. So good to see people not bashing others here prior to state. Best of luck!

[KeeganBosch]

Best of luck to all. Play nice. So good to see people not bashing others here prior to state. Best of luck!

Agreed completely! It's nice to see the level of healthy competition this year. While I can't speak for the Interp and Public Address events, nearly everybody in Limited Prep this season has been very very friendly to one another. Even in this past week leading up to state, I have gotten facebook messages and friend requests from many radio competitors simply saying "good luck" and "can't wait to meet you", and I think it's really awesome! I love to see people enjoying speech for not only the thrill of competing and winning, but for the awesome friendships that it can build.

And on the topic of this weekend, I hope the friendly competition continues! Best of luck to everybody, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

-Keegan

[Ramsey Hendricks]

wes is from bloomington high school but he is at state right now for DI not OC at our ssectional we had alot of judges that did not know what they were doing and let people use props. (which is not allowed in ihsa) so the girl from joliet west won even thoough she cheated followed by a lot of less than par performers in second and third. by the way a really good performer to watch out for is David Kessler in DI he is performing Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead: The Frank Meeink Story. absolutly breath taking.

[Ieader]

How was state?

I am quite surprised with some of these results. However, many of these people must have stepped up after sectionals. (Or judging was simply odd...but it's state.)
Was there a certain event that shocked you?
Anyone brilliant that didn't make finals?
Any freshman/sophomore/junior that has has the potential to win state next year?
Who got eliminated at regionals/sectionals that could of been at state finals?

And yes, my predictions were wrong, but I am glad state is this unpredictable...because being state champion wouldn't mean much if it was predictable. Granted, there should be at least some consistency....cough...going 1 6 in a sectional round...cough...yes HF sectional talking to YOU. But this is what makes speech so exciting, it lets this amount of talent to compete against each other.

If you didn't break finals, at least you got there. (And you probably did your best, but judges favored certain people. Call it a day.)
If you broke and weren't happy with the results, at least you got there.
If you broke and won. At least you got there. lol.

The fact is, these are results from another tournament. And if those judges had different preferences it would of gone another way.

Now..What did you guys see out there in Peoria?

[PAQueen]

I think that there were a few strange choices at state. For Radio, neither Summer Fields or Keegan Bosch broke finals, which seemed to be pretty unlikely given their amazing track record.
I thought that Phil McClure really should have won Oratory- the girl who won had a great speech, but Phil's was just more unique, a real stand out piece.
I was really surprised at the Info results, too...
I watched finals, and from my perspective, Hamsini Rao and Renata Wettermann had better topics than the DGS entry, John Arrington Jr and Julia Boyle were more charismatic, and Wettermann, Boyle, and Finnegan were better speakers/performers... it just seemed like that wasn't the BEST choice for a speech that is supposed to be interesting, of importance, and informative... I don't know about you, but I already had enough information about olives and bad love life jokes.
But, it's state finals, and strange things happen all the time. Congrats to everyone who competed for such a great season!

[xospeech4evaxo]

I loved the info. That chick was so adorable and her speech was truly captivating. Just goes to show that you don't need to get all fancy to win, you just have to communicate. So great :)

[Speecher12]

While I do agree with PAqueen on the oratory, i loved the info. the fact that she took something that we are all familiar with and made it into something so much more profound showed not only how hard she worked, but her skill as a communicator. bad romance jokes? no way. they were very cleverly thought out and placed right where you could tell she might be losing any attention. i was completely captivated by her speech. i was happy with the finals overall, but these are some of the people i thought deserved to be state champions. i'm not saying that anyone who won didn't deserve to win, but these people deserved it too!
DI- Kelsey Sante. Hers was phenomenal, her character was perfect.
HI- I'm biased towards Michelle McCarthy because of The Big Bang i think, but hers was hysterical. it had such a wide variety of humor, and she is a fantastic performer.
IMP- I would have liked to see Sam Niiro or Eli Bernstein speaking up there, I find their speeches to be much more creative.
Dec- Erin's was beautiful, but I think that Phil McClure and Vondell Burns had speeches that were equally as good in different ways. I felt like Erin's was more dramatic than is usually characteristic of Decs, but she was amazing nonetheless.
OC- Again I thought Michelle McCarthy deserved to win, but I think it's probably because I understood all of her musical theatre jokes. I laughed the hardest at hers, as well as Danny Gonzalez'
Poetry- Ellie Wyant's piece was not only extremely difficult, but very well performed. Her accents and signing were wonderful, and I the message of her poetry was very unique and almost inspirational. She and the champion were both phenomenal.
SOS- I loved Kaveri's speech. I wish she could have performed there as well.

[Zaquary1]

Did anyone see the HDA final?? It was super intense.

[Veteran747]

Did anyone see the HDA final?? It was super intense.

Didn't Anna and August get second in HDA not last year but the year before that? Mitch bley & annie houghton-larsen

[bwspeechteam]

Didn't Anna and August get second in HDA not last year but the year before that? Mitch bley & annie houghton-larsen

Yes. If I remember correctly, they actually tied for 1st and got 2nd on judges' preference.

[harfyn]

While I do agree with PAqueen on the oratory, i loved the info. the fact that she took something that we are all familiar with and made it into something so much more profound showed not only how hard she worked, but her skill as a communicator. bad romance jokes? no way. they were very cleverly thought out and placed right where you could tell she might be losing any attention. i was completely captivated by her speech. i was happy with the finals overall, but these are some of the people i thought deserved to be state champions. i'm not saying that anyone who won didn't deserve to win, but these people deserved it too!
DI- Kelsey Sante. Hers was phenomenal, her character was perfect.
HI- I'm biased towards Michelle McCarthy because of The Big Bang i think, but hers was hysterical. it had such a wide variety of humor, and she is a fantastic performer.
IMP- I would have liked to see Sam Niiro or Eli Bernstein speaking up there, I find their speeches to be much more creative.
Dec- Erin's was beautiful, but I think that Phil McClure and Vondell Burns had speeches that were equally as good in different ways. I felt like Erin's was more dramatic than is usually characteristic of Decs, but she was amazing nonetheless.
OC- Again I thought Michelle McCarthy deserved to win, but I think it's probably because I understood all of her musical theatre jokes. I laughed the hardest at hers, as well as Danny Gonzalez'
Poetry- Ellie Wyant's piece was not only extremely difficult, but very well performed. Her accents and signing were wonderful, and I the message of her poetry was very unique and almost inspirational. She and the champion were both phenomenal.
SOS- I loved Kaveri's speech. I wish she could have performed there as well.


Talking to a couple of the judges of that HI final, I know the ranks were extremely close between Michelle and John. I'm not sure about the last two, but John went 112, and michelle went 221, from three of the judges. And while, at first, I thought I liked hers more, I understand completely why John won. His had a lot more heart, and his cutting was more clear.

Also, with Michelle's OC, I found it to not be as well written as Jaboukie's or Zahlmann's. Other than Musical Theatre puns, barely any of her jokes came from writing. And she didn't captivate the room as much as Jaboukie or John. For some reason, her sound got swallowed a bit.

[KeeganBosch]

I think that there were a few strange choices at state. For Radio, neither Summer Fields or Keegan Bosch broke finals, which seemed to be pretty unlikely given their amazing track record....
But, it's state finals, and strange things happen all the time. Congrats to everyone who competed for such a great season!

To the first part: thank you, it's always great to be mentioned in the same sentence as an incredible broadcaster such as Summer. As far as radio goes, judges were simply looking for different things in the state prelims. A lot of things that I had personally "fixed" in the last week based on comments from regional and sectional judges were marked as problematic by state judges. Essentially, they just wanted something different than what our region and section wanted, and though I was surprised by Summer, Brooke, Sterling, and some others not breaking, I would never want to take anything from the six who did make finals.

Jamie did great in finals, and though I had Lillie Kase as winning that final round, I totally expected Jamie in top three, and I'm glad that she won, she's a very very sweet girl. And while we can all have a great laugh at her flub at the showcase, let's be honest. That's an insane amount of pressure, especially for somebody whose event usually has them alone in the room. Jamie, kudos and congratulations!

To the second: could not agree more. It's been a great year for everybody =]

And Finally: I TOTALLY CALLED IT WITH JABOUKIE! Proud of you, man. =D

[Impromptufreak4]

Congratulations to everybody that performed at state, regardless if you broke or not, it is beyond a remarkable accomplishment to make it to state. Some results were surprising, which in the end, is nice to see that anything can happen with a large amount of talented performers.

[jayman]

Congratulations to everybody that performed at state, regardless if you broke or not, it is beyond a remarkable accomplishment to make it to state. Some results were surprising, which in the end, is nice to see that anything can happen with a large amount of talented performers.

Agreed! Well done to all!

[harfyn]

Just did this. It is finals scoring applied to sectionals as a whole... And, uhhh, wow.
I mean, honestly, this NEEDS to be fixed.
Look, eighty percent of final round points were from half of the sectionals. EIGHTY PERCENT, with eighty five percent of the champions.
Coooool.

HF section:98,6 champions(From five different schools)
DGS Section:86,5 champions (all from DGS)
Hoffman Estates Section:71,1 Champ

Benton section:29,2 champs
Rochelle Section:19, 0
Olympia section: 9, 0


If someone could do this for team strength, too, that would be awesome.

[Dreamer]

I'm going to go through and give my opinion on each champion.DDA: They were amazing.DI: She was good. So natural. And intense. But I was in DI finals and u don't remember his name but the guy who came in 5th was pretty great. So, was the one who came in 4th. And 2nd was amazing too. It was a intensely hard round. I mean, it was state.Extemp: It was semi entertaining....for an extemp that is.HDA: Loved this! So cute and funny. But where were the ones who came in second from? They didn't' look familiar. And the people behind me were talking about them.HI: Loved the HI!!! So funny. And I loved the story. It seemed like the only one wit a deep touching story.Imp: Lovely.Infor: I liked how it was something we all know about, but information we never knew!Dec: I cried. So good.OO: I don't know anything about that sort of stuff.OC: I was offended and entertained at the same time!Poetry: She was good.Prose: It was different.Radio: She was adorable.Sos: I liked it, but I felt it relied too much on one certain strain of humor.

[Ieader]

Just did this. It is finals scoring applied to sectionals as a whole... And, uhhh, wow.
Look, eighty percent of final round points were from half of the sectionals. EIGHTY PERCENT, with eighty five percent of the champions.

HF section:98,6 champions(From five different schools)
DGS Section:86,5 champions (all from DGS)

Olympia section: 9, 0


I love that gap. (Yeah right). But seriously, it's the nature of the beast. Although the HF sectional may be tough, it attains a respect the Olympia sectional will never have. I got eliminated at the HF sectional my 2nd time around going 1 6 in a round BOTH years. Yet, I realize once someone goes through a gauntlet like the HF sectional, state is not that bad. Compared to the Olympia sectional to state.

Are there people who certainly deserve to be at state despite being eliminated at Hoffman, DGS, and HF? Of course, but those sectionals are filled with talent that cannot all go to state. And at the same time there are people at the Olympia sectional that gets demolished at state, but it is the nature of the beast.

Should the sectional assignments be redistributed? I would certainly love that idea, but I highly doubt IHSA will change anything. It would be awesome to think that each sectional was just as good as the other, but it's not. These numbers at least prove that point. And for the past decade, this has been the trend.

However, this is state. It has to have an equal distribution of participates per school/regional/sectional. The kids/schools from HF/DGS/Wheaton sectional are simply more state material, and no one can deny that.

Yet, those kids at the Olympia sectional are still having a blast, and I wouldn't want to take anything away from them. I just wish people got credit for their work when credit is due.

We all have this passion for speech and not getting to state shouldn't discourage anyone to participate. In fact this heavy competition should push everyone to do better.

I completely agree with harfyn with the sectionals being ridiculous, but until IHSA writes this as a 'problem'-- sectional representation may be crazy as ever.

[TruRavenclaw]

Just did this. It is finals scoring applied to sectionals as a whole... And, uhhh, wow.
I mean, honestly, this NEEDS to be fixed.
Look, eighty percent of final round points were from half of the sectionals. EIGHTY PERCENT, with eighty five percent of the champions.
Coooool.

HF section:98,6 champions(From five different schools)
DGS Section:86,5 champions (all from DGS)
Hoffman Estates Section:71,1 Champ

Benton section:29,2 champs
Rochelle Section:19, 0
Olympia section: 9, 0


If someone could do this for team strength, too, that would be awesome.

I have 2 posts... but this one will be about the ridiculousness of sectionals. I'm not trying to cause any drama here, it is just my observations and opinions.

Anyway, these are the statistics that seem to come back every year. And I definitely feel for everyone in the Top 3 sectionals. I've always thought that getting through these sectionals, most times is more difficult than getting into finals at state, simply because a sectional final could be as competitive if not more competitive than a state final round.

Just a bit about my background, I competed in Northern Illinois a few years ago and made it through what this year was the HF sectional to state, though I have also competed in what is the Hoffman Estates Sectional. Both were insanely tough. Now, I am coaching and judging for a school that competes in both Central and Southern Illinois, which is a dramatic shift for me.

This weekend, I talked to some of my old friends about this issue and while it may seem harsh, we talked about how easy it was to just ignore anyone coming through from the weaker sectionals. I don't know what it is, but the quality of the pieces/performances from these sectionals simply isn't there. Though I do have some guesses:
1. Mostly just due to the sheer number of schools in Northern Illinois, there are more people and this should equate to more good people. In general most prelim rounds that I see [around the state] overall are pretty mediocre. However, there is a notable difference in the quality of final rounds in Northern Illinois vs. Central/Southern Illinois.

2. The variety of tournaments in Northern Illinois means you are not necessarily seeing the same people every week. For instance, Southern Schools compete in the EFL and most schools in Southern Illinois tend to attend most if not all of these tournaments. This may lead to myopia as these students get used to seeing/winning against/losing against the same people every week.



Unfortunately, I don't see any clear way to remedy this. Here are some possible solutions and also, why they don't/won't work.
1. Add a 4th person to advance from Sectionals. This won't work simply because there will still be amazing performers that will not make it to state.
2. Mix up the sectionals based on team strength. This creates a lot of trouble since you'll have people from Northern Illinois travelling all over the place for their sectionals.
3. Add a 7th Northern sectional. This mixes up the nice even numbers that we have at state. =/

At the end of the day, this is an IHSA sanctioned event and what appears at the State competition should represent the whole state.


Hopefully this post can open up some discourse on the issue. We'll see... that being said, I'm going to do an overview of the champions next haha. Yay!

[TruRavenclaw]

An overview of the State Champions including some of the people I also enjoyed/that may have equally deserved the 1st.

DDA:
Billy and Erin-The Shadow Box
2 previous state champions in HDA and Prose, respectively, showing that they have what it takes to really do anything. This is probably my favorite piece of the night if not this season. Overall, the scene was just very real, nothing too big or loud. Just great acting on both parts. It's interesting that there were 2 duets performing the same piece in the final, I wish I could have seen both.

DI:
Destiny Thompson-The Block Party
A very interesting piece, unfortunately, I was in the bathroom for the first half of it. She was a great performer though.

Notes: I wish I had seen Kelsey Sante. She has had a great year, and I told myself that I could watch her on stage at state finals. Unfortunately, things didn't play out the way I thought they would, though I'm sure she was great nonetheless.

Extemp:
Eli Bernstein
He was great! Though I do feel like he was too caught in the moment of the win and added a lot of jokes that weren't really in his state winning speech. Though I was entertained, I think it was probably the longest extemp I have ever seen :).

HDA:
Dan and Erin-Anna and August
I saw the final round and I called them to win it. Just a great performance from both of these performers. It was hilarious all while being cute and touching at the same time. Dan Leahy is a Junior and will definitely be someone to watch out for next year.

HI:
John Zahlman-American Born Chinese
This was an interesting piece and definitely much different than what I feel like I normally see in HI. He is a good performer with great tech.

Impromptu:
Julia Boyle
I don't know much about impromptu but I thought this would go to Sam Niiro, Gen Carter or Eli Bernstein. That being said, she was still very good.

Informative:
Dhara Puvar-Something Olive Us Should Know
Dhara is a great, very endearing speaker. She took a simple topic and turned into something that I wanted to listen to.

Notes: In general, I feel like info topics fall into 1 of 2 categories: Something new and scientific or interesting information that you didn't know about [noun]. I wish info was just more defined so that there could be more consistent judging rather than judging based on topic preference.

Dec:
Erin C. Walsh-A More Beautiful Later
Erin was one of the double state champions of the night and with good reason. It was a very well-written, timely piece. While this dec was a bit more dramatic than most, I think everyone was moved by this performance.

OC:
Jaboukie Young-White-Baby Blues
Moving from one double champion to another now it's time for Jaboukie. Jaboukie is a wonderful performer and comes off as just an overall nice guy. This was a well-written piece... my favorite line... "I'm going to name him Jaboukie... Hahahhahaha... oh... she's serious."

Notes: I had the pleasure of seeing both John Zahlmann and Michelle McCarthy's pieces earlier in the day and could have easily seen any of the 3 of them winning the final round based on judges' humor preferences. John's was just a very intelligent piece that showed a great amount of skill and tipped its hat at the speech community more than once. Michelle's had great characters and a lot of hilarious tech.

OO:
Sarah King-[I]Free Speech in School
This was a very interesting topic. One that I hadn't seen before. It shied away from what I tend to expect in OO of the social topic. Good writing and good delivery.

Notes: I wish I had the chance to see Phillip McClure... but I didn't. (Random)

PIR:
Moline-The Legacy Quilt
Very different than what has won in the past. Great singing and great props created a very interesting and moving story. The quilt/skirt combo almost blew my mind.

Poetry:
Glorielle Williams-How do we Spell Freedom?
It was well performed, though the theme was kind of similar to last year's champion. Still, it was wonderful poetry.

Notes: I have heard nothing but good things about Ellie Wyant's program and I was hoping to see that on stage.

Prose:
Colleen Derosa-Life in the Hot Seat
I think this was an interesting selection for prose. A lot more subtle and real rather than being very dramatic or very cute as I've seen in most prose rounds. She was very good.

Radio:
Jamie Vaught
I just remember feeling bad that she messed up. But I'm glad she was able to recover and laugh at herself. I don't really understand radio... so that's all I have to say.

SOS:
Jaboukie Young-White-Ninja Please
Like I said, Jaboukie is a wonderful performer and SOS was a great place for him to show it. Nothing outrageously hilarious, just a well-written, well-delivered speech.

Overall: A great job to DGS with 5 state champions and more points than the next 2 teams combined, I think it was a great way to end for a very talented group of seniors [they have something like... 10 state champions among them? I think? I don't know.]. And of course, what a wonderful way to end a coaching career for Jan Heiteen.

I saw some schools walk out before the called the top school, and I almost wanted to kick all of them. We've all been there, we all know it was a long day, but we can all stay for just 10 minutes and give everyone the respect they deserve.

[Impromptufreak4]

An overview of the State Champions including some of the people I also enjoyed/that may have equally deserved the 1st.

DDA:
Billy and Erin-The Shadow Box
2 previous state champions in HDA and Prose, respectively, showing that they have what it takes to really do anything. This is probably my favorite piece of the night if not this season. Overall, the scene was just very real, nothing too big or loud. Just great acting on both parts. It's interesting that there were 2 duets performing the same piece in the final, I wish I could have seen both.

DI:
Destiny Thompson-The Block Party
A very interesting piece, unfortunately, I was in the bathroom for the first half of it. She was a great performer though.

Notes: I wish I had seen Kelsey Sante. She has had a great year, and I told myself that I could watch her on stage at state finals. Unfortunately, things didn't play out the way I thought they would, though I'm sure she was great nonetheless.

Extemp:
Eli Bernstein
He was great! Though I do feel like he was too caught in the moment of the win and added a lot of jokes that weren't really in his state winning speech. Though I was entertained, I think it was probably the longest extemp I have ever seen :).

HDA:
Dan and Erin-Anna and August
I saw the final round and I called them to win it. Just a great performance from both of these performers. It was hilarious all while being cute and touching at the same time. Dan Leahy is a Junior and will definitely be someone to watch out for next year.

HI:
John Zahlman-American Born Chinese
This was an interesting piece and definitely much different than what I feel like I normally see in HI. He is a good performer with great tech.

Impromptu:
Julia Boyle
I don't know much about impromptu but I thought this would go to Sam Niiro, Gen Carter or Eli Bernstein. That being said, she was still very good.

Informative:
Dhara Puvar-Something Olive Us Should Know
Dhara is a great, very endearing speaker. She took a simple topic and turned into something that I wanted to listen to.

Notes: In general, I feel like info topics fall into 1 of 2 categories: Something new and scientific or interesting information that you didn't know about [noun]. I wish info was just more defined so that there could be more consistent judging rather than judging based on topic preference.

Dec:
Erin C. Walsh-A More Beautiful Later
Erin was one of the double state champions of the night and with good reason. It was a very well-written, timely piece. While this dec was a bit more dramatic than most, I think everyone was moved by this performance.

OC:
Jaboukie Young-White-Baby Blues
Moving from one double champion to another now it's time for Jaboukie. Jaboukie is a wonderful performer and comes off as just an overall nice guy. This was a well-written piece... my favorite line... "I'm going to name him Jaboukie... Hahahhahaha... oh... she's serious."

Notes: I had the pleasure of seeing both John Zahlmann and Michelle McCarthy's pieces earlier in the day and could have easily seen any of the 3 of them winning the final round based on judges' humor preferences. John's was just a very intelligent piece that showed a great amount of skill and tipped its hat at the speech community more than once. Michelle's had great characters and a lot of hilarious tech.

OO:
Sarah King-[I]Free Speech in School
This was a very interesting topic. One that I hadn't seen before. It shied away from what I tend to expect in OO of the social topic. Good writing and good delivery.

Notes: I wish I had the chance to see Phillip McClure... but I didn't. (Random)

PIR:
Moline-The Legacy Quilt
Very different than what has won in the past. Great singing and great props created a very interesting and moving story. The quilt/skirt combo almost blew my mind.

Poetry:
Glorielle Williams-How do we Spell Freedom?
It was well performed, though the theme was kind of similar to last year's champion. Still, it was wonderful poetry.

Notes: I have heard nothing but good things about Ellie Wyant's program and I was hoping to see that on stage.

Prose:
Colleen Derosa-Life in the Hot Seat
I think this was an interesting selection for prose. A lot more subtle and real rather than being very dramatic or very cute as I've seen in most prose rounds. She was very good.

Radio:
Jamie Vaught
I just remember feeling bad that she messed up. But I'm glad she was able to recover and laugh at herself. I don't really understand radio... so that's all I have to say.

SOS:
Jaboukie Young-White-Ninja Please
Like I said, Jaboukie is a wonderful performer and SOS was a great place for him to show it. Nothing outrageously hilarious, just a well-written, well-delivered speech.

Overall: A great job to DGS with 5 state champions and more points than the next 2 teams combined, I think it was a great way to end for a very talented group of seniors [they have something like... 10 state champions among them? I think? I don't know.]. And of course, what a wonderful way to end a coaching career for Jan Heiteen.

I saw some schools walk out before the called the top school, and I almost wanted to kick all of them. We've all been there, we all know it was a long day, but we can all stay for just 10 minutes and give everyone the respect they deserve.
Agreed with that last statement, also considering the fact that it is Jan Heiteen's last year. I think as far as the sectional issue goes, it really doesn't look like it will be changed soon, and after competing at the HF Sectional, I can say that the difficulty keeps you on your feet more, which is a good thing, but at the same time, the equalization of this system would benefit the State Final, because, as was previously mentioned, the competition is supposed to represent the entire state, which is obviously not happening at the moment.

On a different note, any particular performers do you think have potential/should be feared come next season?

[2Fitzgerald7]

Hi, I am from another state observing through speechwire. The people who did the DDA of "Red", was it about a painter? Or am I thinking of a different piece entirely?

[AllanPomeroy]

Since no one else seems to be taking up the bait, I decided I'd go over some people to look for next year. However, since my experience in any events outside of Extemp and Impromptu is rather limited (no pun intended), I guess I'll just list the junior (or younger) state finalists.

DDA
4th: Josh Arshonsky (Prospect)

EXT
4th: Maggie Koll (Oak Lawn)
I recall seeing Maggie in the 2010 Santaburg Oaklaus final, so I'll reflect a bit on her here- although she's definitely improved a lot since then. She had fantastic energy and she came off as a very sweet and personable girl, but her analysis needed polish- although, considering that she is now a state finalist, she's probably fixed that.

HDA
1st: Dan Leahy (DGS)
He came in first, so obviously we all got to see him. He was superb, but I couldn't help feeling he was upstaged slightly by Erin M. Walsh (though she is a national finalist, after all). Nevertheless, Dan will likely do great next season.
4th:Kyle Fitzgerald (Marian)
6th: Peter David McNaught (Moline)

HI
5th: Rahul Jacob (Sandburg)

IMP
3rd: Alex Buckley (DGN)

INFO
3rd: Lauren Brouwers (Sandburg)
5th: Renata Wettermann (Fremd)

DEC
6th: Katelin Coronado (Cary-Grove)

OC
4th: Michael Maley (Buffalo Grove)

PO
3rd: Jena Sugay (Hinsdale Central)
I've seen her perform, and she was excellent. She achieved a great balance between emotion, humor, and a strong social message.
5th: Mahliyah Adkins-Threats (Richwoods)

PR
3rd: Laura Nelson (Hinsdale Central)
Finalist: Nathaniel Marshall (Reed-Custer)

RS
4th: Jessica Stroner (Wheaton North)
6th: Jonathan Morsovillo (Reavis)

SOS
3rd: Alison Ogunmokun (Normal University)
I watched the SOS final and can comment on her as well. I was impressed with her delivery and with some of her humor, but overall I was surprised her speech placed third- I expected it to get fourth. She never really clarified who her audience was, and her message wasn't especially original. Still, she was very talented and shouldn't be ignored. She deserved to be in that final.

So, what do you think? Do any of these people have a chance of being major competitors this season?

[Dreamer]

Since no one else seems to be taking up the bait, I decided I'd go over some people to look for next year. However, since my experience in any events outside of Extemp and Impromptu is rather limited (no pun intended), I guess I'll just list the junior (or younger) state finalists.

DDA
4th: Josh Arshonsky (Prospect)

EXT
4th: Maggie Koll (Oak Lawn)
I recall seeing Maggie in the 2010 Santaburg Oaklaus final, so I'll reflect a bit on her here- although she's definitely improved a lot since then. She had fantastic energy and she came off as a very sweet and personable girl, but her analysis needed polish- although, considering that she is now a state finalist, she's probably fixed that.

HDA
1st: Dan Leahy (DGS)
He came in first, so obviously we all got to see him. He was superb, but I couldn't help feeling he was upstaged slightly by Erin M. Walsh (though she is a national finalist, after all). Nevertheless, Dan will likely do great next season.
4th:Kyle Fitzgerald (Marian)
6th: Peter David McNaught (Moline)

HI
5th: Rahul Jacob (Sandburg)

IMP
3rd: Alex Buckley (DGN)

INFO
3rd: Lauren Brouwers (Sandburg)
5th: Renata Wettermann (Fremd)

DEC
6th: Katelin Coronado (Cary-Grove)

OC
4th: Michael Maley (Buffalo Grove)

PO
3rd: Jena Sugay (Hinsdale Central)
I've seen her perform, and she was excellent. She achieved a great balance between emotion, humor, and a strong social message.
5th: Mahliyah Adkins-Threats (Richwoods)

PR
3rd: Laura Nelson (Hinsdale Central)
Finalist: Nathaniel Marshall (Reed-Custer)

RS
4th: Jessica Stroner (Wheaton North)
6th: Jonathan Morsovillo (Reavis)

SOS
3rd: Alison Ogunmokun (Normal University)
I watched the SOS final and can comment on her as well. I was impressed with her delivery and with some of her humor, but overall I was surprised her speech placed third- I expected it to get fourth. She never really clarified who her audience was, and her message wasn't especially original. Still, she was very talented and shouldn't be ignored. She deserved to be in that final.

So, what do you think? Do any of these people have a chance of being major competitors this season?

So, I went to Speechwire to check out the stats of competitors for next year, and you named everyone who wasn't a senior who broke each event. Except the ones from a southern school. I think thats a little rude. Yeah, you might not compete with them in a regular season, and neither will the kids i coach, but once state comes around again, they'll be back.

[AllanPomeroy]

So, I went to Speechwire to check out the stats of competitors for next year, and you named everyone who wasn't a senior who broke each event. Except the ones from a southern school. I think thats a little rude. Yeah, you might not compete with them in a regular season, and neither will the kids i coach, but once state comes around again, they'll be back.

I double checked Speechwire as soon as I saw this, and I realized that I'd indeed missed a few finalists by skimming the finals results a bit too quickly. Honestly, it was just a stupid mistake. So without further adieu:

DI
4th: Brandon Johnson (Harrisburg)

HDA
2nd: Alexis Kuhlman and D.J. Duncan (Harrisburg)

HI
6th: DJ Duncan (Harrisburg)

INFO
1st: Dhara Puvar (DGS)
Gosh, I missed her- and she was state champion! That's embarrassing...

OC
Finalist: Juan Munoz (Coal City)

Now everyone ought to be represented! Next time, though, please don't jump to conclusions.

[Impromptufreak4]

This is my unpolished list of mostly competitors in what was the HF Sectional..I don't follow too much of anything else, but that obviously doesn't mean that they aren't competitive.

DDA:
Aubree Tally (Lemont)
Brandon Sapp (Thornwood)

DI:
Sara Witsak (Reavis)
Destin-Patton Warner (Thornton)
Annellis Kennedy Cunningham (Sandburg)
Jason Warrior (Richards)

ES:
Isaiah Sciford (Homewood-Flossmoor)
Maggie Koll (Oak Lawn)
Hannah Jarman (Shepard)

HDA:
Robert Rigler and Sydney Bozich (Lemont)
Kyle Fitzgerald (Marian)
Matt Gainer (Shepard)
Pat Kelly (Sandburg)
Griffin Forberg and Caroline Azem (Richards)

HI:
Rahul Jacob (Sandburg)
Aubree Tally (Lemont)

IMP:
Sara Ryan (Homewood-Flossmoor)
Jonathan Morsovillo (Reavis)
Mike Peretz (Shepard)
Maggie Wheaton (Oak Lawn)

Info:
Lauren Brouwers (Sandburg)

OC:
Rahul Jacob (Sandburg)
Robert Rigler (Lemont)

Dec:
Morgan Brown (Southland College Prep)
Emily Salamone (Oak Lawn)

OO:
Hannah Jarman (Shepard)
Sydney Bozich (Lemont)
Phan Le (Reavis)

Poetry:
Jason Warrior (Richards)

Prose:
Kyle Fitzgerald (Marian

Radio:
Jon Morsovillo (Reavis)
Maggie Wheaton (Oak Lawn)

SOS:
Pat Kelly (Sandburg)
Enrique Montoya (Shepard)
Kassy DeGrado (Reavis)


That's basically it, probably many I forgot from this area, and I didn't forget about the other sectionals, just predicting the one I'm familiar with, but as I previously said, other areas are just as competitive.