Junior Brynja Lockman will be competing at Speech Nationals on June 16th-21st in Des Moines, Iowa. She will take part in the Extemporaneous Speaking category. She is the only member of BSM Speech to make it to Nationals for the 2024 speech season and will compete among 6,700 other speakers. Preparation for the tournament will involve long hours of research and practice but nonetheless, she is determined.
The path that Lockman took to accomplish this was somewhat unusual. She was unable to qualify for Nationals through her district tournament after she placed fifth because only the top three moved on. Undeterred by this, Lockman dedicated to participate in a last-chance qualifier held by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). This was an online tournament that involved four preliminary rounds, followed by a semi-final round and a final round. There were a total of 105 entries for the Extemporaneous Speaking category, and only the top 16 qualified for Nationals. Lockman placed fifth and successfully qualified for Speech Nationals. “I’m proud of myself because it was definitely hard to get to Nationals. It took a lot of perseverance, especially when I didn’t qualify the first time through districts,” Lockman said.
I’m proud of myself because it was definitely hard to get to Nationals. It took a lot of perseverance, especially when I didn’t qualify the first time through districts.”
— Brynja Lockman
The Extemporaneous Speaking category involves giving a seven-minute speech that answers a question that participants receive at the beginning of the event. After receiving her question, Lockman was given 30 minutes to prepare her speech. In this time period, Lockman researched her topic, found sources that she would use in her speech, wrote out the speech outline, memorized information, and practiced her delivery. “It’s definitely very challenging because you’re not just scored on your argument but also on your sources and your presentation and delivery,” Lockman said.
In order to prepare for Nationals, Lockman is working to sharpen her extemporaneous speech skills by researching, giving practice speeches, and focusing on word fluency. She is also improving her use of gestures to elevate her speech delivery. Lockman will spend a great deal of time researching world events because competitors in the Extemporaneous Speaking category need to have a vast knowledge of many subjects. “The category that I’m in requires that you have a very in-depth knowledge of almost all world events and a variety of subjects including the environments technology, science, politics, law, the economy, etcetera,” Lockman said.
Although Lockman has competed in other national tournaments, such as the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions, this is her first appearance at NSDA Speech Nationals. Lockman is feeling a little nervous as Nationals grow closer, but she isn’t letting that stop her from being excited. “I’m really excited to be able to compete at Nationals, give a bunch of speeches on really cool topics, and I’m excited to see where it takes me,” Lockman said.