by Jonathan Pederson ’15
On March 15, 2014, Randolph-Macon Academy cadets John Camarella ’15, Jonathan Pederson ’15, Micah Peregrino ’14, and Benjamin Schoonover ’17 attended WACFL’s (Washington Arlington Catholic Forensics League) Annual Metro-Final Tournament. The Metros Tournament began with a four-round schedule split into Washington and Arlington competitors. These four rounds determined District rankings before reaching a fifth round to determine regional rankings. The top three of each district competed during this final round. The four events R-MA participated in were Original Oratory, Oral Interpretation, Declamatory Speaking, and Impromptu.
Competing in Original Oratory were Peregrino and Pederson. Original Oratory is an event where students write a ten-minute speech, memorize it, and orate it. Jonathan Pederson’s speech was on the topic of Glossophobia, or the Fear of Public Speaking. Out of this speech, Pederson won third in districts and sixth in Regionals. This qualifies Pederson for Nationals, which will occur in Chicago on May 24, 2014. Peregrino gave a speech entitled “Man Up,” a speech redefining masculinity.
Peregrino also competed in Impromptu. This event provides the challenge of “on-the-fly” speaking. A student is prompted with three topics typically under one of these four categories: Books, Quotes, Objects, or Wildcard. Of three topics, the student must choose one. The student then has seven minutes to prepare and orate a speech. Typically a student uses two minutes to prepare before using the remaining five minutes to give a speech. Micah received third in regionals and fourth in districts.
Competing in the event Oral Interpretation, Camarella received seventh in Districts, qualifying him as a runner-up for Nationals. This meant if a competitor from the WACFL District were to drop out, that Camarella would replace him in Nationals. On Saturday, March 22nd, Speech and Debate Head Coach James Taafel was notified that Camarella would be competing in Nationals. Oral Interpretation is split into two categories: Prose and Poetry. John’s prose rendition was on “Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot” by Robert Olen Butler. John gave his poetry rendition on “Turn on a Light” by Shane Koyczan.
Competing in Declamation, Schoonover orated the Dartmouth 2011 Commencement Address originally spoken by Conan O’Brien. Declamation is offered to freshmen and sophomores only; it consists of a speech written by another author, memorized and presented to a judge.
“It was a big day at the MetroFinals of the Washington Arlington Catholic Forensics League (WACFL) on Saturday!” exclaimed Assistant Coach Doug Pratt. Former Team Captain Valerie Pratt delightedly returned to help judge at the tournament. During lunch and awards, the team had the opportunity to reconnect and share each other’s experiences in both high school and college.
Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA), founded in 1892, is a college-preparatory, coeducational day and boarding school for students in grades 6 through 12. Students in grades 9-12 participate in R-MA’s 91st Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and have the option to participate in a unique flight program. R-MA is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is located in Front Royal, VA.