HAVEN — The Great Bend High School speech team took four students to the Haven Invitational Speech Tournament on Saturday. All four students placed and three qualified for state. Those students competed in 10 events and eight of those events placed.
Darian Harbaugh placed 1st in Impromptu Speaking and 4th in Prose Interpretation. Abby Mackinney placed 5th in Original Oration.
“Competing in my first tournament was certainly nerve-racking, but each round got easier, and placing made all the nerves worth it,” Mackinney said.
Bailey Sandy placed 2nd in Serious Solo Acting and 3rd in Original Oration and 5th in Impromptu Speaking. Geoffrey Pafford placed 1st in Humorous Solo Acting and 3rd in Informative Speaking.
Those qualifying for state at this tournament were Harbaugh in Impromptu Speaking, Sandy in Serious Solo Acting, and Pafford in Humorous Solo Acting.
The team placed fifth overall in sweepstakes, even though it did not have a full roster. GBHS placed higher than some schools that brought more people, Coach Barbara Watson said.
“The speech team has continued working, practicing and competing in tournaments to be ready for the state speech tournament,” she said.