Hinsdale Central Speech team places fourth at state

• Reprints

Team members (front row, from left) Shaila Sundram, Jena Sugay, Priyanka Aribindi, Georgie Sadler,and Laura Nelson; (second row) Dan Cassin, Rosie Cappetta, Caroline Nyheim, Gen Carter,and Anais Carell. | photo courtesy of Hinsdale Central

Updated: March 24, 2012 8:51AM

Despite the fact that the competition is based on verbal skills, the Hinsdale Central Speech team quietly managed a fourth-place finish at the Illinois High School Association State Speech Final over the weekend in Peoria.

While speech is an IHSA activity with competition, it doesn’t receive nearly the attention as do most IHSA sports.

“I guess I wish people knew how much work we put into it,” said senior Gen Carter, who accomplished a pair of second-place finishes at the state meet. “The amount of time involved in this is jus as much as any sport. I know this is something that most people just don’t know about, and that’s OK, but I think a lot of people would appreciate it if they knew about it and saw it.”

Speech teams from high schools across the state participated in an invitational season from the beginning of November 2011 through the end of January. Competitions include 14 public speaking, acting and original performance categories.

The IHSA competition started in February with regional meets. The top four finishers in each category at the regional meets advanced to sectional competition.

Hinsdale Central has about 50 team members who perform in public speaking and performance events throughout the season, said coach Paul Woods. Only one entry per team is allowed to compete in each of the 14 events for regional, sectional and state meets.

“Our students really work hard at this, and it’s a great activity for them because it helps to prepare them on many different levels,” Woods said. “They have to get up in front of other people and speak, and there is writing involved, too.”

Central placed second in a Feb. 4 regional meet, while advancing students in all 14 events to sectional competition. Only 10 teams in the state managed to advance in all 14 events.

On Feb. 11, Central placed third at the IHSA sectional competition and advanced in nine events to the state meet. Only three teams in the state had more entries qualify for state.

With runner-up finishes by Dan Cassin and Carter in Dramatic Duet Acting, and Carter in Impromptu Speaking being highlights at the state meet for Central, the team finished with 18 points. Downers Grove South won the meet with 40 points, followed by Oak Lawn and Downers Grove North, both with 20. Wheaton North was fifth with 17 points.

Other place winners for Central were Laura Nelson, third in Prose Reading; Jena Sugay, third in Poetry Reading and 10th in Original Oratory; Caroline Nyheim, 13th in Oratorical Declamation; Shaila Sundram, 9th in Informative Speaking; Anais Carell, eighth in Extemporaneous Speaking; and Cassin, eighth in Dramatic Interpretation. Nelson was the only sophomore at the state meeting to finish among the top three.

Both Nelson and Cassin are involved in Central’s drama/theater activities and got involved in the speech team because they believed it would be a good experience.

“I’ve always done theater, and this was another way to get involved,” Cassin said.