The Cannon Falls Speech Team had always been a fearsome competitor, and this year was no exception. Proving their formidability were the sub-sections tournament results — the team won by over 150 points. To continue the achievements, fourteen “speechies” – as speech team members are nicknamed – qualified to compete at the state tournament, held at Blaine High School.

Non-qualifiers were invited to come along, but dressing in speech attire was a requirement. The main purpose was to have them blend in with the speakers. Coach Cal Vande Hoef said jokingly, “I just think it’s funny when you see thirty people getting off the bus, that some of the others look at us and go ‘how many did they qualify?”

Faithful speech team parents and supporters braved the bad weather to send off the team that morning. As the bus drove by, it was greeted with cheers, pom poms, and signs. The send-off produced smiles, loosened tense muscles, and boosted confidence levels.

Of the fourteen, four competitors made finals: Sydney Erhardt (Extemporaneous Speaking), Matt Lockett (Serious Interpretation – Poetry), Josh Siebenaler (Extemporaneous Speaking), and Matt Breuer (Great Speeches). At the suspenseful awards ceremony, Erhardt received first, Lockett received fifth, Siebenaler received 4th and Breuer received sixth. All of the finalists were speech team captains.

Lockett was among eleven state competitors to win their third state medal, and Siebenaler was among the twenty-five competitors to earn their second state medal. The Minnesota State High School League website states that “Sydney Erhardt of Cannon Falls was the only [State] competitor to strike gold for a second consecutive year.”

According to Vande Hoef, the gold medal is also her third medal overall.

Lockett expressed his excitement about the tournament.  “State was phenomenal this year! So many amazing competitors,” read his Facebook status Saturday night.

“I couldn’t be more happy to have gotten 5th in Poetry this year!” The speech team’s success will hopefully be continued next year, and they will continue to speak proudly.

To show the success of the team, Vande Hoef breaks down the season: “We had fifty-four people on the team, thirty-four went to sections, twenty-four of those went to finals, and fourteen went to state.” He explains how more people were close to making State finals, and placed ninth or tenth. Vande Hoef also points out that the speechies earned a team trophy at every tournament. Optimistically, he says “the success that we had this year is going to be a base for the next couple of years.” When asked to describe his response to the season, Vande Hoef says simply, “I’m proud of our team.” As Julie Phelps, a speech supporter, would say “there is no shhhhhh… in the heart of a speechie.”