Senior Raechel Zoellick (Elk Grove Village) took second in Program Oral Interpretation and fourth in After Dinner Speaking in the first Online Asynchronous Tournament Series (OATS) of the season, hosted by Marshall, Minnesota from Oct. 3rd-7th. The team took fourth place overall.
At the tournament, sophomore Michelle Ryan (Chicago Heights) took third in Program Oral Interpretation. Freshman Braden Wall (Cary) took third in Impromptu, qualifying his event for the American Forensics Association (AFA) nationals. Sophomore Jedge Slothower (Ottawa) took sixth in Persuasion.
Each team member submitted recordings of their events to the tournament.
“I’m looking forward to more asynchronous opportunities to get my voice out there.”
Braden Wall
Wall was excited that he qualified Impromptu for AFA, meaning he’s allowed to compete in the event at the tournament, which will be held in California during the first weeks of April.
“The high point of the tournament for me was qualifying my first event to nationals,” said Wall.
Wall also took a moment to celebrate with Zoellick, his “Big Bird,” the team member assigned to watch out for him and answer any questions he may have as he adjusts to being part of the Forensics Union.
“The high point for me was Braden qualling his Impromptu. It was so exciting seeing the results from OATS and getting a text from my Little Bird as he realized he got his first AFA qual,” said Zoellick.
While the team is proud of their accomplishments, they’re also constantly seeking to improve.
“I think my timing was very good,” said Slothower, “I want to tweak my delivery for this persuasion.”
Submitting videos to tournaments instead of performing for an audience continues to have its benefits and drawbacks for the team.
“It’s really nice to be able to re-record a video if it doesn’t go the way you want it to. But I love seeing people’s reactions to my performance which is something you don’t get with asyncs,” said Zoellick.
Competing asynchronously also means the team could record their submissions from a variety of locations.
“I recorded my videos in Fell 039,” said Zoellick, referring to one of the team rooms that’s been reorganized to allow members a blank backdrop to record in front of.
Wall, meanwhile, found a different location. “I competed from a classroom in Fell Hall.”
With the first of the OATS tournaments behind them, the team is eagerly looking forward to the next competitions in the series.
“I’m looking forward to more asynchronous opportunities to get my voice out there,” said Wall.
The ISU Forensics Union, the oldest and most successful registered student organization on campus, boasts over 80 individual national champions and 10 team national championships. The team competes at tournaments in Lincoln-Douglas debate, public speaking, and oral interpretation events. For more information about the Forensics Union, please contact forensics@ilstu.edu, or visit the team’s website