Speech Contest Deadlines... start planning now!

The Deadlines for the Division Contests were moved to an

earlier date to allow more time between the completion

of the Division Contests and the District Contests at the Fall and Spring D53 Conferences.

-- Fall 2007 --

August 18
Area & Division contest dates to be set and published

September 21
Deadline for Club Table Topics and Humorous Contests

October 5
Deadline for Area Table Topics and Humorous Contests

October 19
Deadline for Division Table Topics and Humorous Contests

November 3

District Fall Conference and Hall of Fame Fishkill, NY

Hosted by Division A !!!!

-- Spring 2008 --

February 8

Area & Division contest dates to be set and published

March 21

Deadline for Club Tall Tales and International Contests

April 11

Deadline for Area Tall Tales and International Contests

May 3

Deadline for Division Tall Tales and International Contests

May 17

District Spring Conference Division E - MA

Area A1, A3 and A5 Contest Results

We had a fun-filled evening last night hosted by Marist College Toastmasters in Poughkeepsie, NY. Here are the results...

Area A1 Results:

Tall Tales

1st place: Adam Izzo

(pictured to the right with Area A1 Governor/ContestMaster, Colleen Yarter and Area A5 Governor, David Gavin)

1st Runner-up: Thomas Franklin
3rd Place: Ziyad Choudhury

International Speech Contest:

1st place: John Affronti

1st Runner-up: Deana Dunn

(John & Deana picture to right)

3rd Place:Richard Basener

Area A3 Results:

Tall Tales

1st place: Susan Lacey

(pictured to the right)

1st Runner-up: Joan Kern

International Speech Contest:

1st place: Chris Albanese, Orange County Toastmasters

Trophy for 1st Runner-up was not awarded (no other contestants)

Area A5 did not have any contestants in the International or Tall Tales contests. Two trophies and one winner's medal for Area A5 went home lonely!

We look forward to having the winners (or their runner-ups, if they can't make it) at the Division A Contest on Wed. April 11th at the Wooster School (hosted by WestConn Toastmasters). Times and directions are available on the District 53 website (click here).

Area A3 Contests... set for April 4th

From Dave Wheeler, Division A Governor:

Since I have not gotten any responses the email I sent out last week, I made an "executive decision" and scheduled the Area A3 contest in conjunction with the Area A1 / A5 Contest on April 4th. (I have already discussed the subject with Area A1 & A5).

We want to make sure we give all the clubs in Area A3 the opportunity to participate in the Spring contests ! They should also be aware that each area will have their own trophies so while the contests are being run together, the competitions will only be within each Area!

On 2/27/07, Roger Brown <rogerbrown@mac.com > wrote:

Good Morning Dave.

The Area Contests should start real soon now. And it

looks like Division A is nearly ready for the march to the

final 6 speakers in D53.

Area A1 Tall Tales and International Speech Contests

Wednesday, April 4, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

at Dyson Bldg, Ulrich Conf Rm Marist College,

3399 North Rd (Rte 9), Poughkeepsie, NY

Area A2 Tall Tales and International Speech Contests

Wednesday, March 21, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

at Wooster School Library, 91 Miry Brook Rd, Danbury, CT

Area A3 Tall Tales and International Speech Contests

Wednesday, April 4, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
at Dyson Bldg, Ulrich Conf Rm Marist College,
3399 North Rd (Rte 9), Poughkeepsie, NY

Area A4 Tall Tales and International Speech Contests

Wednesday, March 21, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

at Wooster School Library, 91 Miry Brook Rd, Danbury, CT

Area A5 Tall Tales and International Speech Contests

Wednesday, April 4, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

at Dyson Bldg, Ulrich Conf Rm Marist College,

3399 North Rd (Rte 9), Poughkeepsie, NY

Division A Tall Tales and International Speech Contests

Wednesday, April 11, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

at Wooster School Library, 91 Miry Brook Rd, Danbury, CT

Ideas to help build a Tall Tales speech ...

I came across a post that was comparing two types of virtual worlds - gaming and non-gaming - and found the following quote that sounded like it could be applied to a Tall Tales speech ....

Games have at least three advantages other virtual worlds don't. First, many games, and most social games, involve an entrance into what theorists call the magic circle, a setting with simplified and knowable rules. The magic circle saves the game from having to live up to expectations carried over from the real world.

Click here to read the whole article and learn about the other two advantages that games have over other virtual worlds.

If you think about it, isn't a Tall Tale speech sort of like a virtual world? The speaker takes us to this world and shows us around, hopefully something interesting happens and then it gets resolved (perhaps unexpectedly) and everyone's happy. If you have played a computer game with a "virtual environment" you can see where there are similarities to a Tall Tales speech.

How can you use this to build a better Tall Tales speech? Try practicing your speech with your eyes closed. Visualize the virtual environment that you are trying to describe. Use your practice time to immerse yourself in this world so that you know it "inside and out". This way you will have a strong "feeling" for the environment and when you describe it as part of your speech, it will be easier to remember and, most likely, more vivid for the audience.

Give it a try!


Dates to remember....

Spring Club Contest deadline: by March 17th

Area Contest deadline: April 7th

Division A Contest: Wed, April 11th at 7:30pm, Wooster School Library, Danbury, CT. Hosted by WestConn Toastmasters.

District 53 Contest / Leadership Summit Conference: May 19th in East Hartford.

Spring Contest Scheduling

The spring contest season is on the horizon ....

And before we all get too busy with holiday shopping and parties, it might be a good idea to put our Area and Division Contests on the schedule for 2007. This will also help the clubs in your area plan their club contests.

The deadlines are:
Club contests by March 17th, 2007
Area contests by April 7th, 2007
Division contest by April 28th, 2007
District Contest ON May 19th, 2007 at the Sheraton Hotel in E.Hartford, CT.

I can probably get a location for the Division A contest in the Danbury, CT area, but if there is someone who would like to host it somewhere on the NY state side of Div.A (and have the "home court advantage"), I would be happy to work with them to make it happen. We just need to get it on the schedule SOON.

Please let Dave Wheeler, Division A Governor, know when you have a date for your contests and he will post it on our Division blog at www.areaA4.blogspot.com.

Best wishes for a great holiday season !

Dave Wheeler
Division A Governor, 2006-7