Vikings place 7th at Willmar meet

Originally schedule to compete at Southwest Minnesota State University, the Minneota Speech team instead competed in the Willmar Cardinal Speech Invitational with many large schools on Saturday.
The Vikings finished seventh overall in a strong field.
Joe Voit, a sophomore, finished third in Extemporaneous Speaking.
"Joe is another team member who found himself looking for a challenge this year and found it by double-entering in Extemp Speaking and Humorous," said Minneota coach Kim Gades.
In Extemp Speaking, competitors draw three questions revolving around current events and can pick any one of the three. They then have 30 minutes to prepare a speech and deliver it to the judges.
Voit was also fifth in Humorous.
"Joe's Humorous piece is entitled 'Camp' by Frank Joseph, which follows a young Boy Scout camp leader as he navigates the craziness of Boy Scout camp," Gades explained.
Emma Lipinski, a senior, is also a double-entry each week. She competes in Prose and Humorous. She placed second in Next-In Prose (the next six after varsity finals).
"Emma was a perpetual competitor in Great Speeches since she was in seventh grade," Gades noted. "She has been double-entering in Prose for the past several years, as well. This year, she was looking for something different and found it in Humorous."
Lipinski's Humorous entry is called "Dating Dilemmas" and follows six singles while speed dating.
Lipinski's Prose piece this year is "Where the Light Gets In" by Kimberly Williams Paisley.
"It is a heartbreaking first-hand account of losing someone to Alzheimer's and dementia," said Gades. "She has moved many to tears this year already."
Alyssa Engels was fifth in Original Oratory, Joey Clark fifth in Storytelling, Wyatt Pohlen sixth in Discussion, Thomas Belaen sixth in Storytelling, and Reagan Bierschenk sixth in Informative.
Minneota next competes in the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Invitational on Saturday, March 19 in Tyler.