By Charlotte Sandler '21
Here at Notre Dame, we take pride in our fierce competitiveness when it comes to our athletic department. However, it has come to my surprise that this competitive streak is also celebrated in our Speech & Debate Club.
My interest in ND’s Speech & Debate Team piqued during my Day 4 lunch last week, when Sophia Gregory ‘21 told me about her weekend plans, which included practicing her two speeches for her upcoming Speech competitions. Before our conversation, I was oblivious to the fact the the club had experience competing, and that it is looking forward to making their name known this season. Speech & Debate not only offers the opportunity to compete, but it can also boost your confidence and teach you the art of public speaking, which you will undoubtedly benefit from in your life.
To learn more about these possibilities, I sat down with Sophia again and discussed the logistics of the club. She explained the process of choosing two speeches for the competition, which are then modified with the help of the moderator (Ms. Littlefield) and senior Erin Haddad’s mother, in order for deliverance on competition day to strike a cord with the three judges. While Speech offers a more individualized approach to experiencing this club, students involved in Debate have a partner with whom they compete in Congressional Debate. After weeks of preparations, if you choose to compete, you will find yourself on Saturdays among an array of high schoolers from all over NYC, including Regis, Stuyvesant and Chaminade.
Unfortunately, Sophia informed me that most of the girls in Speech are seniors, leaving her as the sole Speech competitor for next season. While this leads to some concern for the future of ND Speech, Sophia informed me that it is never too late to be apart of this amazing club. In fact, this wonderful team is hoping for more club members to join, in order to continue to grow, learn and gain recognition in the NYC Speech & Debate world.
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