Hartnell's speech team improves performance at state competition

It's the third time that Hartnell Speech Team competes at the state level, and the guys and gals did not disappoint. They competed with 27 other colleges and universities at the California Community College State Championships March 11-15 in Woodland Hills, California, and two of the team members got second-place rankings in the preliminary round.

Victoria Garcia and Joy Jubane received 2nd place rankings in the preliminary round. Garcia competed in Communication Analysis on the current trend of women and men seeking surgeries to become ‘Human Barbies,’ attempting to look like the iconic dolls Barbie and Ken. Jubane competed with her interpretation of the humorous prose, “The Pony Problem.” She portrayed a young New York woman with a secret collection of ‘toy ponies.’

“The team was excited for Joy and her performance,” said Coach Jason Hough. “This was the highest ranking she had all year, and for it to happen at state was a great way to end the season.”

Front L to R: Tanaya Landry, Lourdes Tinajero, Andrea Cervantes, Adrian Flores, Victoria Garcia, Joy Jubane. Back L to R: Christopher Rendon, Marc Dover, coach Jason Hough, Meritzy Ayala, Sarina Atkins.

To reach the finals and qualify for the national tournament, students must earn a combination of 1st and 2nd place rankings in all three rounds. “Last year we had one student come close to qualifying for the national tournament,” said Hough. “This year, we had two. We now have our sites on next year’s state tournament and our goal of attending the national tournament.”

The following students received a 3rd place ranking in preliminary competition:

Adrian Flores, Poetry Interpretation
Andrea Cervantes, Communication Analysis
Christopher Rendon, Dramatic Interpretation
Christopher Rendon and Lourdes Tinajero, Dramatic Duo Interpretation
Lourdes Tinajero, Prose Interpretation
Meritzy Ayala, Informative Speaking

Also competing for the team were Marc Dover, Sarina Atkins, and Tanaya Landry. The Hartnell Speech Team will host a showcase performance from 7 to 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, at Steinbeck Hall and is open to the general public.