Fall 2015 Contests

Well it’s contest time again across the Division.
Division X Humorous Speech Contest
	From chuckling to chortling to completely cracking up, the audience had a treat at Okanagan College on Saturday 24th October 2015. Left to right: Moya Webb (Division X Director), Dave Maller (First Place winner), Rob St Onge (Second Place winner) and Cal Craik (Third Place winner).
Winners from clubs from Kelowna, Penticton and Oliver Toastmasters clubs met to compete to find the best humorous speaker in Division X and it was a tight race!. The high of calibre of speakers, whose enthralling story telling skills regaled the audience, demonstrating how the Toastmasters program helps even timid speakers become entertainers; learning how to organize a speech to build to a climax with twists and turns along the way, the right pace and vocal variety to enhance a story and how to use one’s body to bring a story to life. Toastmasters contests provide a twice yearly opportunity for members to challenge themselves and for all members to learn by observing the most proficient speakers. This contest was a perfect demonstration of how to craft a story based on events from everyday life, with a humorous twist.
	The First Place winner in the Humorous contest was Dave Maller from Westside Toastmasters, with his speech “Rodeo”. Dave wove a wonderful tale as he recalled his early career in radio, telling us why the rodeo is what he loves to hate the most. From an errant horse refusing to be ridden, to his own invention for making country music sound even better, Dave had us entertained to the last.
Dave will represent Division X at the Toastmasters District 21 Humorous Speech contest in Richmond, BC on November 14th and 15th. Dave’s home club, the Westside club, meets on a Wednesday at 7pm at the Lakeview Heights Community Centre, Anders Road, West Kelowna.
Here’s a quick synopsis of some of the other delights we enjoyed on Saturday:
The Second Place winner in the Humorous contest was Rob St Onge from Okanagan College Toastmasters, with his speech “Necessity is the Mother of Invention“. Contrasting the ways that women and men approach problems and find solutions, Rob had his audience in fits of laughter as he demonstrated his own solutions to problems like a missing TV remote and getting to ride in the HOV lane, with a variety of unexpected props.
Rob’s home club, the Okanagan College club, meets on a Wednesday at 12pm at the Okanagan College Kelowna campus, 1000 KLO Road, Kelowna.
	The Third Place winner in the Humorous Contest was Cal Craik from the South Okanagan Toastmasters club in Oliver, with his speech “Saving the World”. No problem is too big for Cal Craik! From feeding the world’s starving, solving the US Debt crisis and finding an alternate use for the oil pipelines, Cal has it all under control.
Cal’s home club, the South Okanagan Toastmasters club meets Tuesday at 7pm at the Oliver Senior Centre, 5876 Airport Street, Oliver, BC.
Other hilarious contestants:
Sue Skinner, from the Kelowna AM Toastmasters club, with her speech “Never Mess With A Soprano”. Sue entertained us with a hilarious insight into the world of opera and why a soprano will always come out on top! Sue’s home club is the Kelowna AM Toastmasters club that meets 6:50am on Thursdays at the Royal Anne Hotel, Bernard Avenue, Kelowna.
Jennifer Mlazgar, from the Penticton Toastmasters club, with her speech “The Unspoken Agreement”. Jennifer explained the complex unspoken agreement that she and her sister had and why her sister constantly scours the internet for another lost dog looking for his forever home. Jennifer’s home club is the Penticton Toastmasters club, which meets Tuesdays at 7pm at the Shatford Centre, Penticton.
Sonja Peters, from the Kelowna Toastmasters club, with her speech “Camping List”. Sonja told a tale of a rodent infested camping trip and why every camping list should start with a badminton racket.
Sonja’s home club is the Kelowna Toastmasters club, who meet Mondays at 7pm at the Rotary Centre for the Arts, Cawston Avenue, Kelowna.
Division X Table Topics Speech Contest
	Five contestants from clubs in Kelowna and the South Okanagan me at Okanagan College on Saturday 24th October 2015, for the ultimate challenge in impromptu speaking! Left to right: Moya Webb (Division X Director), Jennifer Mlazgar (First Place winner), Melody Bailey (Second Place winner) and Raminder Sahota (Third Place winner).
Requiring a demonstration of skills in impromptu speaking, entering a Table Topics contest requires contestants to answer the same topic, building a mini speech with opening, body and conclusion, supporting points through effective body language, emphasizing points through flexible volume and a variety of pace plus appropriate selection of words that are easy to follow but conjure up the desired image. All that in two minutes with no prior warning! The First Place winner in the Table Topics was Jennifer Mlazgar, from the Penticton Toastmasters club. Second place went to Melody Bailey and Third place went to Raminder Sahota. Both Melody and Raminder are members of the Kelowna Toastmasters club that meets on Monday at 7pm at the Rotary Centre for the Arts. The Table Topics Question? “If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?”