Fourteen Park Rapids speech team members earned medals at the Subsection 23A tournament, held Saturday at Menahga High School.
First- through sixth-place finishers continue to the Section 6A speech tournament on Saturday, April 6 in Pillager.
Almost the entire Park Rapids subsection team qualified for sections, including alternates, noted speech coach Tanya Miller.
Kole Gieseke and Kaelen Emerson were champions in duo, placing first. Jake Reish placed first in extemporaneous speaking.
In the storytelling contest, Deserae Kohrs took second, with Sophia Guida earning fifth.
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Maeve Bolton won third place in creative expression, while Brenna Behrens earned third place in extemporaneous reading.
In original oratory, Lily Friedl placed fourth and Emily Schulz fifth.
Daisy Sharp took fifth place in great speeches. For poetry, Allie Edelman earned fifth place. In prose, Em Worner captured fourth place, Nadia Yliniemi fifth place and Sierra Sharp sixth place.
Earning first or second alternate spots were Emma May (seventh place) in humor, Tabitha Guida (seventh place) in creative expression, Emma Ravnaas (seventh place) in poetry, and Kaylie Westberg (eighth place) in prose.
Overall, the Park Rapids speech team earned third place by earning 75 points at subsections. Staples-Motley's team ranked second (129 points) and Pequot Lakes first (155 points).
"It's been a good transition year, with new coaching staff taking over," she said. "Even though our team is small, we made a sizable showing at subsections, by placing third overall. We are looking forward to sections this week and hoping for the best!"
