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| Speech Team Meet Summaries |
State Tournament
Click for photo gallery
With their best showing ever, the North Pointe Speech Team earned 26 finals spots and ended the AIA 1A-3A State Tournament with 2nd place and
four State Champions: Senior James Teeples along with his partner Freshman C.J. Komos took first in Duo-Acting; Junior Jon Burgmeier took first
in Drama; and Freshman Joshua Snider took first in Prose. There were also numerous 2nd and 3rd place finishes in other categories all combining
to leave the team as the 2nd highest ranking team for the current competitive year. The team’s 26 spots in the finals were based on scores from
preliminary and semi-finals rounds earlier in the day. “We wanted to end the year with a bang," said Head Coach Troy Ward, “and we certainly did so.
All day it was difficult to say who was going to win the overall tournament as we edged into first place and then were overtaken by Temp Preparatory,
the four time State Champions and then we emerged into the first place spot again. At the end of the day, Temp Prep ended up beating us barely but
the loss is not what’s important, it’s the fact that we ended the year with a title and a sweepstakes trophy. It is validation for us after our most
successful year ever and to garner four state champions on top of it all is just the icing on the cake!” This has indeed been a the most successful year
ever for the North Pointe Speech Team with finishes in the top 10 for Arizona high schools at every tournament they have competed in and having
earned sweepstakes trophies at four of the eight tournaments competed in throughout the year. “The idea that two freshmen team members earned a
State Championship Title is proof that hard work and extreme dedication is the only thing that counts in the long run,” continued Coach Ward. “and
with four State Champions and 26 finals spots we have shown that we are one of the best Speech Teams in all of Arizona.” As the team loaded up on
the bus to head home after a tremendous day of competition, there were nothing but smiles and cheers among team members as Coach Ward
reminded students of just what they had accomplished this year. The team will now work on recruiting and training for an upcoming Jr. High tournament
in May and then will begin preparation for next year in what is sure to be another competitive year. The following is a list of students and their final
placement in categories competed in at the Arizona 1A-3A State Speech Tournament:
Duo-Acting
James Teeples and C.J. Komos - 1st place State Champions. Mallory Johnson and Joshua Snider 3rd place. Greyson Lamothe and Guard Lamothe
6th place overall.
Dramatic
Jon Burgmeier 1st place State Champion. Kim See 2nd place. C.J. Komos 6th place. Ashlyn Tupper and Ben Cleaveland with semi-finals spots.
Prose
Joshua Snider - 1st place State Champion. Ashlyn Tupper 4th place. Ben Cleaveland and Chris Heif with semi-finals spots.
Humorous
Frankie Marchi 2nd place in the state. Katie Komos 3rd place.
Duo-Interpretation
Katie Komos and Melody Chripsen 2nd place in the state. Ben Cleveland and Andrew Rom 4th place. Sara DeNorch and Celeste Ulloa 5th place.
Expository
Sara DeNorch 2nd place in the state. Melody Chrispen 4th place. Celeste Ulloa 5th place. Guard Lamothe 6th place.
Poetry
James Teeples 3rd place in the state. Kim See 4th place. Mallory Johnson 6th place. Kaylinn Crowl with a semi-finals spot.
Meet 7 at Mesa High School
Click for morning show appearance
With a record 20 finals spots, North Pointe's Speech Team dominated the awards ceremony at the 2010 Mesa Jack Rabbit Classic 1A-5A Speech
Tournament. The Prep's overall 3rd place finish against twenty six 1A-5A schools included five1st place wins in the Humor, Duo-Interpretation, Prose,
and Expository categories. Additionally, there were numerous 2nd and 3rd place finishes in other categories all combining to allow the team to reach a
personal best and to ultimately defeat the powerhouse team from Dobson High School. With this win, combined with their other achievements this year,
North Pointe will head to their State competition as the #1 ranked team in their division. The team’s 20 spots in the finals were based on scores from
preliminary and semi-finals rounds earlier in the day. “This is the third time this year we have finished with an overall trophy for team sweepstakes,"
said Head Coach Troy Ward, “and this one is an especially sweet victory as it is our final tournament of the year before our State competition. This is
one of the most difficult tournaments of the year since it is so late in the competitive season and teams have honed their talent and we all compete
against the best of the best. By winning a 3rd place overall we have demonstrated that we are one of the very best. We actually were the top Individual
event school of the competition without any debaters or Student Congress members and it’s better still that for the first time ever we actually beat the
nationally ranked Dobson High School Team who is a 5A Speech Champion school. The star of the day was Celeste Ulloa who took home a 1st place
trophy for Expository Speaking as well as a 1st place trophy with her partner Sara DeNorch in the Duo-Interpretation category. Each of these
categories had 30 students apiece competing for the top prize and Celeste triumphed against all of them. Coach Ward sent Celeste on stage to accept
the team’s 3rd place overall trophy and with tears in her eyes and arms full of trophies bigger than her, she graciously accepted the award on behalf of
North Pointe's Speech Team. “Just before the semi-finals rounds I challenged the team to bring me 20 finals spots so we could reach a personal best,”
continued Coach Ward. “and they did it with 20 exactly! On top of it all we had a 1st through 3rd sweep in the extremely difficult Humor Interpretation
category and we ended with five 1st place trophies overall as well as students in finals spots all across the competitive board."
Humorous
Frankie Marchi 1st place overall. Katie 2nd place. Chris Heif 3rd place . Andrew Rom 6th place. Ashlyn Tupper respectively with a spot in the Semi-
Final round.
Duo-Interpretation
Celeste Ulloa and Sara DeNorch 1st place overall. Ben Cleveland and Andrew Rom, 3rd place. Kaylinn Crowl and Jon Burgmeier 5th place.
Prose
Ashlyn Tupper 1st place. Joshua Snider 6th place overall.
Expository
Celeste Ulloa 1st place. Sara DeNorch 5th place overall.
Poetry
Kim See, 2nd place. Mallory Johnson 3rd place. James Teeples 5th place. Kaylinn Crowl earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Duo-Acting
C.J. Komos and James Teeples 2nd place.
Original Oratory
Frankie Marchi 4th place overall.
Dramatic
Jon Burgemeir and Kim See, each earning Semi-Finals spots.
Meet 6 at Central High School Bobcat Bonanza
Click for photo gallery
At the sixth Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team continued to show extremely well at the Central High School 1A through 5A
Speech Tournament, once again finishing in the top ten for sweepstakes. Out of 30 teams in attendance, the Prep's Speech Team members had 16
breaks into semi-final rounds and they ended the day with 5 finalists in the categories of Humor, Prose, Poetry, and the always strong category for the
Prep, Storytelling. Once more competing against the dominant teams of Desert Vista, Dobson, and Brophy High Schools, the Prep Speech Team
fought hard to earn their number eight overall spot. “We were especially worried about this tournament,” said Head Coach Troy Ward, “I was not going
to be there due to the regional competition with my Academic Decathlon Team which coincided with Central. However, Mr. Leonardi the team‘s
Assistant Coach worked hard with the team to keep anxiety in check and ultimately he helped to lead the Prep‘s Speech Team to yet another top 10
spot for tournament sweepstakes.” The Prep Speech Team continued to dominate in the Storytelling category of competition with all 5 entries easily
breaking into semi-finals and two earning finals spots. Freshman Andrew Rom took home his first ever 1st place trophy in Storytelling with his duo-
partner, Ben Cleaveland taking the 3rd place spot in finals. “It‘s difficult,” continued Coach Ward, “to continually face these powerhouse teams and with
our being such a small school, it’s easy to get frustrated. But, I believe it is good for the Prep Speech Team to face this kind of competition in that it
makes all of us stronger and more determined with each tournament to secure a top ten spot as a team. This is the fifth tournament of the year and we
have officially finished in the top ten for every tournament we have competed in this year. This just shows how good these amazing students have
become and much of it is owed to the type of competition we are competing against…. we have no choice but to go in and fight for our spots in finals at
these large tournaments.”
Storytelling
Andrew Rom 1st place. Ben Cleaveland 3rd place. Kaylinn Crowl, Celeste Ulloa, and James Teeples all earning spots in the Semi-Finals round.
Prose
Ashlyn Tupper earning a 2nd place overall. Grayson Lamothe with a spot in the Semi-Finals.
Poetry
Kim See with a 4th place overall finish. Kaylinn Crowl earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Humorous
Ashlyn Tupper earning an overall 6th place. Frankie Marchi earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Duo-Acting
Partners C.J. Komos and James Teeples along with partners Mallory Johnson and Joshua Snider all earning spots in the Semi-Finals round and both
sets of partners missing a Finals break by one point.
Expository Speaking
Guard Lamothe earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Meet 5 at Mt. View High School
Click for photo gallery
For the fifth Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team showed extremely well at the Mountain View High School 5A Speech
Tournament finishing strongly in the top ten for sweepstakes. Out of 44 teams in attendance, the Prep's Speech Team members had 21 breaks into
semi-final rounds and they ended the day with 11 finalists in the categories of Duo-Interpretation, Duo-Acting, and Storytelling. Competing against
such powerhouse teams as Desert Vista and Dobson High Schools, the Prep even had several students brake into triple rounds for semi-finals.
“Coming off of a first place tournament win and then going to the Mt. View tournament was rough," said Head Coach Troy Ward, “We had huge
expectations and a lot of team members were disappointed. I actually feel just the opposite. What we diid here at Mt. View was just as important as
winning that first place trophy at the last tournament by showing that we are not just a good team but one of the best in the entire state.” The Prep
Speech Team is still ranked in the top 10 for Speech Teams in Arizona for all divisions of schools and their showing at the Mt. View tournament proved
they deserve this ranking. For the second tournament in a row, the Prep’s Speech Team beat the current 1A through 3A state champions, Tempe
Preparatory. “Our goal is simple. Each of us needs to bring it from now on. Every round we compete in counts. Every moment we practice counts. The
goal is a first place in every category from here on out and not only can we do it, we will do it,” continued Coach Ward. “We have done in four years
what it takes most teams 20 years or more to do. We do not have Student Congress or debaters so it’s difficult to accumulate the points we need in
order to secure a top three spot at these 5A tournaments. But, we hold our own with the individual categories and we are one of the very best teams
who do so. There is no Student Congress at the State Tournament so we will show that we are the dominant force for individual work.
Duo-Interpretation
Frankie Marchi and Sara DeNorch 3rd place. Jon Burgemeir and Kaylinn Crowl 4th place. Melody Chrispen and Katie Komos 5th place. Ben
Cleaveland and Andrew Rom earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Storytelling
Katie Komos 4th place. Melody Chrispen 5th place. Ashlyn Tupper 6th place. With all six entries in the category earning Semi-Finals spots including
Joshua Snider, Kaylinn Crowl, and Frankie Marchi.
Duo-Acting
C.J. Komos and James Teeples 3rd place overall.
Poetry
Kaylinn Crowl earning Semi-Finals spots.
Prose
Joshua Snider earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Humorous
Frankie Marchi and Jon Burgemeir both earning Semi-Finals spots.
Expository Speaking
Melody Chrispen earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Note of Special Distinction
Melody Chrispen, Frankie Marchi, and Kaylinn Crowl all triple breaking into Semi-Final rounds
Meet 4 at Valley Christian
Click for Speech Team morning show appearance after first place finish
Click for Speech Team morning pre-tournament show appearance
For the fourth Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team at long last earned a 1st place overall win out of 18 teams in overall
points at the Valley Christian Invitational Speech Tournament. The Prep's overall 1st Place finish included 1st place wins in Poetry, Duo-Interpretation,
and Duo-Acting. Additionally, there were numerous 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes in other categories without even one last place finish. The team
ended with an amazing 18 spots in the finals based on scores from preliminary and semi-finals rounds earlier in the day. “This time I knew we had a
shot at winning a top 3 Sweepstakes spot," said Head Coach Troy Ward. “My Assistant Coach Nick Leonardi and I had done the math when the semi-
finals rounds were posted and North Pointe was dominating. We had several students that were already ranked 1st in their categories and that
combined with the fact that we went the extra mile the day before to enter team members into debate rounds was an indicator that we were going to
finish strong. We were still not 100% sure though since this was supposed to be a smaller school tournament and bigger 4A and 5A schools ended up
having students competing, but at the end of the day it was a focus from each North Pointe team member like I‘ve never seen before that tipped the
scales and helped us to win the entire competition.” As the awards ceremony drew closer at the end of the day on Saturday, the tension was easily felt
in the air. With North Pointe Speech members being called up for awards in nearly every tournament category, the idea that North Pointe could win
seemed more and more likely. This particular tournament also offered different categories such as Spontaneous Argumentation and the old fashioned
category of Radio Speaking which the Prep‘s Speech Team earned final spots in. There was also a 5A school from Los Angeles competing which the
Prep defeated in every category. When the State Director for Speech, John Wolnitsky announced the Sweepstakes winners, a pin could have been
heard dropping. As North Pointe Prep’s name was called the realization that the team had finally beaten their prime competitors and earned a 1st
Place overall spot sank into each team member and the crowd exploded with yells and applause. “Probably the most important thing about our winning
this tournament,” continued Coach Ward, “is that we finally beat Tempe Prep, River Valley High School, and Valley Christian who were all the teams
who beat us at the State Championship Tournament last year. This is a very good sign for our future as a team and for how we can do at the state
tournament this year."
Duo-Interpretation
Kaylinn Crowl and Jon Burgemeir 1st place. Ben Cleveland and Andrew Rom, 5th place.
Poetry
Kim See, 1st place. Ashlyn Tupper and James Teeples, earning Semi-Finals spots.
Duo-Acting
C.J. Komos and James Teeples 1st place. Joshua Burgemeir and Joshua Snider 5th Place.
Dramatic
Kim See, 2nd place.
Prose
Ben Cleveland 2nd Place. Ashlyn Tupper 3rd place. Joshua Snider earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Humorous
Chris Heif 2nd Place. Andrew Rom 3rd place and Katie Komos 5th place.
Radio Speaking
Kaylinn Crowl 4th place. Frankie Marchi 5th place.
Expository Speaking
Melody Chrispen 4th place.
Meet 3 at Dobson High School
At the 3rd Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team again placed 6th in overall points, this time out of 36 teams at Dobson High
School's prestigious1A-5A Speech Tournament. The Prep's overall 6th Place finish included 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes in the Storytelling
category, along with a 4th place finish in the Duo-Interpretation category and a very impressive 2nd place finish in Duo-Acting. The team earned 17
spots in the Semi-Finals round based on their scores from preliminary rounds earlier in the day. “At this tournament, the biggest and the best of
Arizona’s teams compete,” said Head Coach Troy Ward. “Dobson is known as the powerhouse tournament and not only did we secure another top 10
spot overall as a team, but we placed 6th again. This time we were short 4 of our top competitors because they were all starring in the Prep's theater
production of ‘The Mousetrap’ and it’s final night of production just happened to coincide with this tournament. But, the rest of the team rallied and
fought hard and we finished extremely well.” Upon the completion of this, the 3rd tournament of the season, North Pointe Prep’s 2A Speech Team
currently holds the 8th position in the state of Arizona for points earned altogether, passing up such 5A teams as Mesa High School, Sandra Day O’
Connor High, and Red Mountain High School. “It‘s just starting to sink in with all of us," continued Coach Ward, "this team is becoming one of the best
Speech Teams in the whole state. Our ultimate goal is to just be the best we can be and we are quickly realizing that we can obtain that goal and so
much more!“
Story Telling
Sara DeNorch, 2nd place, Celeste Ulloa, 3rd place, Joshua Snider, 4th place. Ashlyn Tupper and Greyson Lamothe, earning Semi-Final spots.
Duo-Interpretation
Sara DeNorch and Celeste Ulloa, 4th place finish. Kaylinn Crowl and Jon Burgmeier earning Semi-Final spots.
Prose
Greyson Lamothe, Joshua Snider, James Teeples earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Humorous
Jon Burgmeier and Joshua Burgmeier both earning Semi-Finals spots.
Expository
C.J. Komos earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Duo-Acting
Partners James Teeples and C.J. Komos, 2nd place overall finish.
Meet 2 at Red Mountain High School
Click for photo gallery
Click for video highlights
At the second Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team placed 6th, out of 25 teams, in overall points at Red Mountain High
School's 1A-5A Speech Tournament. The Prep's overall 6th Place finish included 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes in the Storytelling category, along
with a 6th place finish in the Drama category and a 5th place finish in Duo-Interpretation. The team earned 15 spots in the Semi-Finals round based
on their scores from preliminary rounds earlier in the day. “Although we did not earn a top three sweepstakes prize this time," said Head Coach Troy
Ward, "the fact that we finished this same tournament last year in 10th place shows a definite commitment to excellence by the team. To add to this the
fact that most of the smaller schools’ speech teams in Arizona are now gone due to budget cuts to the speech program throughout the state and we
are now competing against giant schools with a staff of coaches and at least 50 or more students competing, a 6th place finish is astounding.” Perhaps
the best part of the competition for the North Pointe team was being recognized at the awards ceremony for their recent induction as a charter chapter
speech team by the National Forensic League (NFL). Meg Haymaker, National Committee Chair for the NFL attended the tournament specifically to
acknowledge this amazing feat by the North Pointe Speech Team. With this acknowledgment in front of the attending schools at the tournament, North
Pointe received a standing ovation. A school may qualify for the charter membership by recording at least 1,000 credit points for competing students
over the course of two years and by showing evidence of its commitment to a strong speech program. As a result of this national induction, the North
Pointe Prep Speech Team will receive an honorary plaque noting this accomplishment along with a national press release. Benefits of being
recognized as a charter member include such things as the team not having to qualify for the annual state competition with cumulative earned points,
in addition to now being eligible to compete at out of state tournaments. "This was the best possible way to end a grueling tournament day," continued
Coach Ward, "and to see the smiles on my kids’ faces as we received a standing ovation from over 600 people for all of the hard work we’ve done
makes the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into building this team more than worth it.”
Story Telling
Sara DeNorch, 2nd place, Frankie Marchi, 3rd place, Katie Komos, 4th place. Celeste Ulloa, Melody Chrispen, Jon Burgemeir, and Kaylinn Crowl
earning Semi-Finals spots.
Duo-Interpretation
Ben Cleaveland and Andrew Rom, 5th place.
Dramatic
Mallory Johnson, 6th place.
Poetry
Kim See and Melody Chrispen, earning Semi-Finals spots.
Prose
Ben Cleaveland and Greyson Lamothe, both earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Humorous
Mallory Johnson and Jon Burgemeir earning Semi-Finals spots.
Meet 1 at Thunderbird High School
Click for photo gallery
Click for video highlights
North Pointe's Speech Team placed second in overall points at Thunderbird High School's 1A-5A Speech Tournament and earned enough points to
qualify for the State Tournament. The runner-up finish to 5A Desert Vista vaulted the Prep past last year's 1A-3A State Champion Tempe Prep and
4A-5A Champion McClintock High School. The Prep's best finish ever included four first place finishes (in three categories), 19 finalist earning medals,
and a 1st-4th place sweep in the Storytelling category." “Although I am amazed at how well we did, I am not at all surprised," said Head Coach Troy
Ward. "We have been working so hard with extra practices. This team is committed to not just doing well but placing in finals every single time. The
thing I am most proud of is the camaraderie of the team. In fact, every single team member who we call ‘newbies’ that have never even competed at a
tournament before placed in finals. This just shows how dedicated every member of this team is to each other. To end the day with 19 finalists
exceeded all of my expectations for any tournament," continued Coach Ward. "But, to get 2nd Place overall and beat out so many established teams
from 5A Schools is the icing on the cake - especially at our first tournament of the competitive season.”
Story Telling
Frankie Marchi, 1st place, Melody Chrispen, 2nd place, Kaylinn Crowl, 3rd place, Joshua Snider (his first tournament), 4th place.
Duo-Interpretation
Sara DeNorch (at her first tournament ever) and Celeste Ulloa, 1st place, Ben Cleaveland and Andrew Rom (his first tournament), 2nd place, Ashlyn
Tupper and Chris Heif (his first tournament), 4th place, Frankie Marchi and Chance Bragg (his first tournament), 6th place.
Dramatic
Kimberly See, 1st place, Mallory Johnson, 2nd place, and Ashlyn Tupper, 4th place.
Other Categories
Kaylinn Crowl earned her second finals spot with a 5th place finish in the Prose Category and Jon Burgemeir earned a 5th place spot in finals for the
Humor Category. In the category of Expository Speaking, C.J. Komos (first tournament ever) took home the 4th Place finish and in Original Oratory,
Guard Lamothe (first tournament) won the 6th Place spot for finals. Additionally, new member to the team James Teeples broke into the Semi-Final
round of competition in the Prose Category, barely missing a spot for finals by one point.
Click for photo gallery
With their best showing ever, the North Pointe Speech Team earned 26 finals spots and ended the AIA 1A-3A State Tournament with 2nd place and
four State Champions: Senior James Teeples along with his partner Freshman C.J. Komos took first in Duo-Acting; Junior Jon Burgmeier took first
in Drama; and Freshman Joshua Snider took first in Prose. There were also numerous 2nd and 3rd place finishes in other categories all combining
to leave the team as the 2nd highest ranking team for the current competitive year. The team’s 26 spots in the finals were based on scores from
preliminary and semi-finals rounds earlier in the day. “We wanted to end the year with a bang," said Head Coach Troy Ward, “and we certainly did so.
All day it was difficult to say who was going to win the overall tournament as we edged into first place and then were overtaken by Temp Preparatory,
the four time State Champions and then we emerged into the first place spot again. At the end of the day, Temp Prep ended up beating us barely but
the loss is not what’s important, it’s the fact that we ended the year with a title and a sweepstakes trophy. It is validation for us after our most
successful year ever and to garner four state champions on top of it all is just the icing on the cake!” This has indeed been a the most successful year
ever for the North Pointe Speech Team with finishes in the top 10 for Arizona high schools at every tournament they have competed in and having
earned sweepstakes trophies at four of the eight tournaments competed in throughout the year. “The idea that two freshmen team members earned a
State Championship Title is proof that hard work and extreme dedication is the only thing that counts in the long run,” continued Coach Ward. “and
with four State Champions and 26 finals spots we have shown that we are one of the best Speech Teams in all of Arizona.” As the team loaded up on
the bus to head home after a tremendous day of competition, there were nothing but smiles and cheers among team members as Coach Ward
reminded students of just what they had accomplished this year. The team will now work on recruiting and training for an upcoming Jr. High tournament
in May and then will begin preparation for next year in what is sure to be another competitive year. The following is a list of students and their final
placement in categories competed in at the Arizona 1A-3A State Speech Tournament:
Duo-Acting
James Teeples and C.J. Komos - 1st place State Champions. Mallory Johnson and Joshua Snider 3rd place. Greyson Lamothe and Guard Lamothe
6th place overall.
Dramatic
Jon Burgmeier 1st place State Champion. Kim See 2nd place. C.J. Komos 6th place. Ashlyn Tupper and Ben Cleaveland with semi-finals spots.
Prose
Joshua Snider - 1st place State Champion. Ashlyn Tupper 4th place. Ben Cleaveland and Chris Heif with semi-finals spots.
Humorous
Frankie Marchi 2nd place in the state. Katie Komos 3rd place.
Duo-Interpretation
Katie Komos and Melody Chripsen 2nd place in the state. Ben Cleveland and Andrew Rom 4th place. Sara DeNorch and Celeste Ulloa 5th place.
Expository
Sara DeNorch 2nd place in the state. Melody Chrispen 4th place. Celeste Ulloa 5th place. Guard Lamothe 6th place.
Poetry
James Teeples 3rd place in the state. Kim See 4th place. Mallory Johnson 6th place. Kaylinn Crowl with a semi-finals spot.
Meet 7 at Mesa High School
Click for morning show appearance
With a record 20 finals spots, North Pointe's Speech Team dominated the awards ceremony at the 2010 Mesa Jack Rabbit Classic 1A-5A Speech
Tournament. The Prep's overall 3rd place finish against twenty six 1A-5A schools included five1st place wins in the Humor, Duo-Interpretation, Prose,
and Expository categories. Additionally, there were numerous 2nd and 3rd place finishes in other categories all combining to allow the team to reach a
personal best and to ultimately defeat the powerhouse team from Dobson High School. With this win, combined with their other achievements this year,
North Pointe will head to their State competition as the #1 ranked team in their division. The team’s 20 spots in the finals were based on scores from
preliminary and semi-finals rounds earlier in the day. “This is the third time this year we have finished with an overall trophy for team sweepstakes,"
said Head Coach Troy Ward, “and this one is an especially sweet victory as it is our final tournament of the year before our State competition. This is
one of the most difficult tournaments of the year since it is so late in the competitive season and teams have honed their talent and we all compete
against the best of the best. By winning a 3rd place overall we have demonstrated that we are one of the very best. We actually were the top Individual
event school of the competition without any debaters or Student Congress members and it’s better still that for the first time ever we actually beat the
nationally ranked Dobson High School Team who is a 5A Speech Champion school. The star of the day was Celeste Ulloa who took home a 1st place
trophy for Expository Speaking as well as a 1st place trophy with her partner Sara DeNorch in the Duo-Interpretation category. Each of these
categories had 30 students apiece competing for the top prize and Celeste triumphed against all of them. Coach Ward sent Celeste on stage to accept
the team’s 3rd place overall trophy and with tears in her eyes and arms full of trophies bigger than her, she graciously accepted the award on behalf of
North Pointe's Speech Team. “Just before the semi-finals rounds I challenged the team to bring me 20 finals spots so we could reach a personal best,”
continued Coach Ward. “and they did it with 20 exactly! On top of it all we had a 1st through 3rd sweep in the extremely difficult Humor Interpretation
category and we ended with five 1st place trophies overall as well as students in finals spots all across the competitive board."
Humorous
Frankie Marchi 1st place overall. Katie 2nd place. Chris Heif 3rd place . Andrew Rom 6th place. Ashlyn Tupper respectively with a spot in the Semi-
Final round.
Duo-Interpretation
Celeste Ulloa and Sara DeNorch 1st place overall. Ben Cleveland and Andrew Rom, 3rd place. Kaylinn Crowl and Jon Burgmeier 5th place.
Prose
Ashlyn Tupper 1st place. Joshua Snider 6th place overall.
Expository
Celeste Ulloa 1st place. Sara DeNorch 5th place overall.
Poetry
Kim See, 2nd place. Mallory Johnson 3rd place. James Teeples 5th place. Kaylinn Crowl earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Duo-Acting
C.J. Komos and James Teeples 2nd place.
Original Oratory
Frankie Marchi 4th place overall.
Dramatic
Jon Burgemeir and Kim See, each earning Semi-Finals spots.
Meet 6 at Central High School Bobcat Bonanza
Click for photo gallery
At the sixth Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team continued to show extremely well at the Central High School 1A through 5A
Speech Tournament, once again finishing in the top ten for sweepstakes. Out of 30 teams in attendance, the Prep's Speech Team members had 16
breaks into semi-final rounds and they ended the day with 5 finalists in the categories of Humor, Prose, Poetry, and the always strong category for the
Prep, Storytelling. Once more competing against the dominant teams of Desert Vista, Dobson, and Brophy High Schools, the Prep Speech Team
fought hard to earn their number eight overall spot. “We were especially worried about this tournament,” said Head Coach Troy Ward, “I was not going
to be there due to the regional competition with my Academic Decathlon Team which coincided with Central. However, Mr. Leonardi the team‘s
Assistant Coach worked hard with the team to keep anxiety in check and ultimately he helped to lead the Prep‘s Speech Team to yet another top 10
spot for tournament sweepstakes.” The Prep Speech Team continued to dominate in the Storytelling category of competition with all 5 entries easily
breaking into semi-finals and two earning finals spots. Freshman Andrew Rom took home his first ever 1st place trophy in Storytelling with his duo-
partner, Ben Cleaveland taking the 3rd place spot in finals. “It‘s difficult,” continued Coach Ward, “to continually face these powerhouse teams and with
our being such a small school, it’s easy to get frustrated. But, I believe it is good for the Prep Speech Team to face this kind of competition in that it
makes all of us stronger and more determined with each tournament to secure a top ten spot as a team. This is the fifth tournament of the year and we
have officially finished in the top ten for every tournament we have competed in this year. This just shows how good these amazing students have
become and much of it is owed to the type of competition we are competing against…. we have no choice but to go in and fight for our spots in finals at
these large tournaments.”
Storytelling
Andrew Rom 1st place. Ben Cleaveland 3rd place. Kaylinn Crowl, Celeste Ulloa, and James Teeples all earning spots in the Semi-Finals round.
Prose
Ashlyn Tupper earning a 2nd place overall. Grayson Lamothe with a spot in the Semi-Finals.
Poetry
Kim See with a 4th place overall finish. Kaylinn Crowl earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Humorous
Ashlyn Tupper earning an overall 6th place. Frankie Marchi earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Duo-Acting
Partners C.J. Komos and James Teeples along with partners Mallory Johnson and Joshua Snider all earning spots in the Semi-Finals round and both
sets of partners missing a Finals break by one point.
Expository Speaking
Guard Lamothe earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Meet 5 at Mt. View High School
Click for photo gallery
For the fifth Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team showed extremely well at the Mountain View High School 5A Speech
Tournament finishing strongly in the top ten for sweepstakes. Out of 44 teams in attendance, the Prep's Speech Team members had 21 breaks into
semi-final rounds and they ended the day with 11 finalists in the categories of Duo-Interpretation, Duo-Acting, and Storytelling. Competing against
such powerhouse teams as Desert Vista and Dobson High Schools, the Prep even had several students brake into triple rounds for semi-finals.
“Coming off of a first place tournament win and then going to the Mt. View tournament was rough," said Head Coach Troy Ward, “We had huge
expectations and a lot of team members were disappointed. I actually feel just the opposite. What we diid here at Mt. View was just as important as
winning that first place trophy at the last tournament by showing that we are not just a good team but one of the best in the entire state.” The Prep
Speech Team is still ranked in the top 10 for Speech Teams in Arizona for all divisions of schools and their showing at the Mt. View tournament proved
they deserve this ranking. For the second tournament in a row, the Prep’s Speech Team beat the current 1A through 3A state champions, Tempe
Preparatory. “Our goal is simple. Each of us needs to bring it from now on. Every round we compete in counts. Every moment we practice counts. The
goal is a first place in every category from here on out and not only can we do it, we will do it,” continued Coach Ward. “We have done in four years
what it takes most teams 20 years or more to do. We do not have Student Congress or debaters so it’s difficult to accumulate the points we need in
order to secure a top three spot at these 5A tournaments. But, we hold our own with the individual categories and we are one of the very best teams
who do so. There is no Student Congress at the State Tournament so we will show that we are the dominant force for individual work.
Duo-Interpretation
Frankie Marchi and Sara DeNorch 3rd place. Jon Burgemeir and Kaylinn Crowl 4th place. Melody Chrispen and Katie Komos 5th place. Ben
Cleaveland and Andrew Rom earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Storytelling
Katie Komos 4th place. Melody Chrispen 5th place. Ashlyn Tupper 6th place. With all six entries in the category earning Semi-Finals spots including
Joshua Snider, Kaylinn Crowl, and Frankie Marchi.
Duo-Acting
C.J. Komos and James Teeples 3rd place overall.
Poetry
Kaylinn Crowl earning Semi-Finals spots.
Prose
Joshua Snider earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Humorous
Frankie Marchi and Jon Burgemeir both earning Semi-Finals spots.
Expository Speaking
Melody Chrispen earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Note of Special Distinction
Melody Chrispen, Frankie Marchi, and Kaylinn Crowl all triple breaking into Semi-Final rounds
Meet 4 at Valley Christian
Click for Speech Team morning show appearance after first place finish
Click for Speech Team morning pre-tournament show appearance
For the fourth Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team at long last earned a 1st place overall win out of 18 teams in overall
points at the Valley Christian Invitational Speech Tournament. The Prep's overall 1st Place finish included 1st place wins in Poetry, Duo-Interpretation,
and Duo-Acting. Additionally, there were numerous 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes in other categories without even one last place finish. The team
ended with an amazing 18 spots in the finals based on scores from preliminary and semi-finals rounds earlier in the day. “This time I knew we had a
shot at winning a top 3 Sweepstakes spot," said Head Coach Troy Ward. “My Assistant Coach Nick Leonardi and I had done the math when the semi-
finals rounds were posted and North Pointe was dominating. We had several students that were already ranked 1st in their categories and that
combined with the fact that we went the extra mile the day before to enter team members into debate rounds was an indicator that we were going to
finish strong. We were still not 100% sure though since this was supposed to be a smaller school tournament and bigger 4A and 5A schools ended up
having students competing, but at the end of the day it was a focus from each North Pointe team member like I‘ve never seen before that tipped the
scales and helped us to win the entire competition.” As the awards ceremony drew closer at the end of the day on Saturday, the tension was easily felt
in the air. With North Pointe Speech members being called up for awards in nearly every tournament category, the idea that North Pointe could win
seemed more and more likely. This particular tournament also offered different categories such as Spontaneous Argumentation and the old fashioned
category of Radio Speaking which the Prep‘s Speech Team earned final spots in. There was also a 5A school from Los Angeles competing which the
Prep defeated in every category. When the State Director for Speech, John Wolnitsky announced the Sweepstakes winners, a pin could have been
heard dropping. As North Pointe Prep’s name was called the realization that the team had finally beaten their prime competitors and earned a 1st
Place overall spot sank into each team member and the crowd exploded with yells and applause. “Probably the most important thing about our winning
this tournament,” continued Coach Ward, “is that we finally beat Tempe Prep, River Valley High School, and Valley Christian who were all the teams
who beat us at the State Championship Tournament last year. This is a very good sign for our future as a team and for how we can do at the state
tournament this year."
Duo-Interpretation
Kaylinn Crowl and Jon Burgemeir 1st place. Ben Cleveland and Andrew Rom, 5th place.
Poetry
Kim See, 1st place. Ashlyn Tupper and James Teeples, earning Semi-Finals spots.
Duo-Acting
C.J. Komos and James Teeples 1st place. Joshua Burgemeir and Joshua Snider 5th Place.
Dramatic
Kim See, 2nd place.
Prose
Ben Cleveland 2nd Place. Ashlyn Tupper 3rd place. Joshua Snider earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Humorous
Chris Heif 2nd Place. Andrew Rom 3rd place and Katie Komos 5th place.
Radio Speaking
Kaylinn Crowl 4th place. Frankie Marchi 5th place.
Expository Speaking
Melody Chrispen 4th place.
Meet 3 at Dobson High School
At the 3rd Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team again placed 6th in overall points, this time out of 36 teams at Dobson High
School's prestigious1A-5A Speech Tournament. The Prep's overall 6th Place finish included 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes in the Storytelling
category, along with a 4th place finish in the Duo-Interpretation category and a very impressive 2nd place finish in Duo-Acting. The team earned 17
spots in the Semi-Finals round based on their scores from preliminary rounds earlier in the day. “At this tournament, the biggest and the best of
Arizona’s teams compete,” said Head Coach Troy Ward. “Dobson is known as the powerhouse tournament and not only did we secure another top 10
spot overall as a team, but we placed 6th again. This time we were short 4 of our top competitors because they were all starring in the Prep's theater
production of ‘The Mousetrap’ and it’s final night of production just happened to coincide with this tournament. But, the rest of the team rallied and
fought hard and we finished extremely well.” Upon the completion of this, the 3rd tournament of the season, North Pointe Prep’s 2A Speech Team
currently holds the 8th position in the state of Arizona for points earned altogether, passing up such 5A teams as Mesa High School, Sandra Day O’
Connor High, and Red Mountain High School. “It‘s just starting to sink in with all of us," continued Coach Ward, "this team is becoming one of the best
Speech Teams in the whole state. Our ultimate goal is to just be the best we can be and we are quickly realizing that we can obtain that goal and so
much more!“
Story Telling
Sara DeNorch, 2nd place, Celeste Ulloa, 3rd place, Joshua Snider, 4th place. Ashlyn Tupper and Greyson Lamothe, earning Semi-Final spots.
Duo-Interpretation
Sara DeNorch and Celeste Ulloa, 4th place finish. Kaylinn Crowl and Jon Burgmeier earning Semi-Final spots.
Prose
Greyson Lamothe, Joshua Snider, James Teeples earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Humorous
Jon Burgmeier and Joshua Burgmeier both earning Semi-Finals spots.
Expository
C.J. Komos earning a Semi-Finals spot.
Duo-Acting
Partners James Teeples and C.J. Komos, 2nd place overall finish.
Meet 2 at Red Mountain High School
Click for photo gallery
Click for video highlights
At the second Speech Tournament of the year, North Pointe's Speech Team placed 6th, out of 25 teams, in overall points at Red Mountain High
School's 1A-5A Speech Tournament. The Prep's overall 6th Place finish included 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes in the Storytelling category, along
with a 6th place finish in the Drama category and a 5th place finish in Duo-Interpretation. The team earned 15 spots in the Semi-Finals round based
on their scores from preliminary rounds earlier in the day. “Although we did not earn a top three sweepstakes prize this time," said Head Coach Troy
Ward, "the fact that we finished this same tournament last year in 10th place shows a definite commitment to excellence by the team. To add to this the
fact that most of the smaller schools’ speech teams in Arizona are now gone due to budget cuts to the speech program throughout the state and we
are now competing against giant schools with a staff of coaches and at least 50 or more students competing, a 6th place finish is astounding.” Perhaps
the best part of the competition for the North Pointe team was being recognized at the awards ceremony for their recent induction as a charter chapter
speech team by the National Forensic League (NFL). Meg Haymaker, National Committee Chair for the NFL attended the tournament specifically to
acknowledge this amazing feat by the North Pointe Speech Team. With this acknowledgment in front of the attending schools at the tournament, North
Pointe received a standing ovation. A school may qualify for the charter membership by recording at least 1,000 credit points for competing students
over the course of two years and by showing evidence of its commitment to a strong speech program. As a result of this national induction, the North
Pointe Prep Speech Team will receive an honorary plaque noting this accomplishment along with a national press release. Benefits of being
recognized as a charter member include such things as the team not having to qualify for the annual state competition with cumulative earned points,
in addition to now being eligible to compete at out of state tournaments. "This was the best possible way to end a grueling tournament day," continued
Coach Ward, "and to see the smiles on my kids’ faces as we received a standing ovation from over 600 people for all of the hard work we’ve done
makes the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into building this team more than worth it.”
Story Telling
Sara DeNorch, 2nd place, Frankie Marchi, 3rd place, Katie Komos, 4th place. Celeste Ulloa, Melody Chrispen, Jon Burgemeir, and Kaylinn Crowl
earning Semi-Finals spots.
Duo-Interpretation
Ben Cleaveland and Andrew Rom, 5th place.
Dramatic
Mallory Johnson, 6th place.
Poetry
Kim See and Melody Chrispen, earning Semi-Finals spots.
Prose
Ben Cleaveland and Greyson Lamothe, both earning a spot in the Semi-Finals round.
Humorous
Mallory Johnson and Jon Burgemeir earning Semi-Finals spots.
Meet 1 at Thunderbird High School
Click for photo gallery
Click for video highlights
North Pointe's Speech Team placed second in overall points at Thunderbird High School's 1A-5A Speech Tournament and earned enough points to
qualify for the State Tournament. The runner-up finish to 5A Desert Vista vaulted the Prep past last year's 1A-3A State Champion Tempe Prep and
4A-5A Champion McClintock High School. The Prep's best finish ever included four first place finishes (in three categories), 19 finalist earning medals,
and a 1st-4th place sweep in the Storytelling category." “Although I am amazed at how well we did, I am not at all surprised," said Head Coach Troy
Ward. "We have been working so hard with extra practices. This team is committed to not just doing well but placing in finals every single time. The
thing I am most proud of is the camaraderie of the team. In fact, every single team member who we call ‘newbies’ that have never even competed at a
tournament before placed in finals. This just shows how dedicated every member of this team is to each other. To end the day with 19 finalists
exceeded all of my expectations for any tournament," continued Coach Ward. "But, to get 2nd Place overall and beat out so many established teams
from 5A Schools is the icing on the cake - especially at our first tournament of the competitive season.”
Story Telling
Frankie Marchi, 1st place, Melody Chrispen, 2nd place, Kaylinn Crowl, 3rd place, Joshua Snider (his first tournament), 4th place.
Duo-Interpretation
Sara DeNorch (at her first tournament ever) and Celeste Ulloa, 1st place, Ben Cleaveland and Andrew Rom (his first tournament), 2nd place, Ashlyn
Tupper and Chris Heif (his first tournament), 4th place, Frankie Marchi and Chance Bragg (his first tournament), 6th place.
Dramatic
Kimberly See, 1st place, Mallory Johnson, 2nd place, and Ashlyn Tupper, 4th place.
Other Categories
Kaylinn Crowl earned her second finals spot with a 5th place finish in the Prose Category and Jon Burgemeir earned a 5th place spot in finals for the
Humor Category. In the category of Expository Speaking, C.J. Komos (first tournament ever) took home the 4th Place finish and in Original Oratory,
Guard Lamothe (first tournament) won the 6th Place spot for finals. Additionally, new member to the team James Teeples broke into the Semi-Final
round of competition in the Prose Category, barely missing a spot for finals by one point.