Miller Speech succeeds at State and Districts

Senior Karlee Kopp and Freshman Ben Elliott start to cry on stage after qualifying for the National Speech Tournament in Memorized Duo. Seniors Blake Robinson and Sam Fields, State Champions in Memorized Duo, applaud them.

Sarah Russell
April 14, 2015

As the speech year comes to a close, the Miller Speech team had a successful end to the season at State and Districts.

Beginning the IHSFA State Tournament, the team had 25 students competing in 28 event entries between them. After three qualifying rounds, two semifinal rounds, and one final competition, six Noblesville students brought home a state title.

Sophomore Grace Dean placed 5th in Original Oratory, and sophomore Maddie Backs won 5th in state in Humorous Interpretation. Senior Karlee Kopp and freshman Ben Elliott won 5th, and seniors Sam Fields and Blake Robinson were State Champions, both in Memorized Duo.

“It was an amazing experience to get to bring home a state championship to a team that worked extremely hard with the best partner I could have asked for,” Fields said. “I love the Miller Speech team and am happy to have been a part of it.”
This speech year and Fields’s speech career in Noblesville ends with his championship, but for his partner, Robinson, and five other qualifiers, there is one more tournament this year: nationals.
At Districts, hosted here at Noblesville,  Robinson qualified for nationals in Humorous Interpretation; Senior Lily Schwab in Humorous Interpretation; Dean in Original Oratory; and Kopp and Elliott in Memorized Duo.
Kopp said that she could not express the “amount of excitement and gratitude” she feels. Going to nationals has been Kopp’s goal since she joined in her freshman year, and, still only a freshman, Elliott thought there was “no way” he would make it to nationals this year.
“I don’t even care how we do,” Elliott said. “Well, I do, but we’re just going to go and have a good time. It’s amazing that we got here.”
The 2015 National Speech and Debate Tournament will be held from June 14th to June 19th in Dallas, Texas.