December 7, the NC speech and debate team arrived bright and early to take on the famous Midtown high school tournament. Of those who attended the tournament, all participants competed in the Impromptu speaking category — a type of speech where participants receive a random topic and, following two minutes of preparation, they must deliver a five-minute speech. The tournament showcased NC’s excellence and skill throughout all three rounds.
“I like impromptu because it’s not a lot of planning, but it allows you to think on your feet. It gives you the basis of having a hook, having three claims and a closing. I think it also helps you time [your speaking] but also speak eloquently on the spot,” magnet junior Luisa Wagner said.
At each tournament, Impromptu speakers receive an overall theme. The 2025 Midtown tournament focused on “the Big A,” or the city of Atlanta. With each round, Impromptu speakers receive a specific topic within the category that encompasses the competition’s overall theme.
In the first round, speakers received the theme “ATLiens,” which focused on musical artists who emerged from the city of Atlanta. Participants obtained a quote from a song — written by musicians anywhere from Zac Brown to Future. Junior Zuri Kai, a first-year member in speech and debate, showcased high excellence throughout this round, especially as this served as her second tournament overall.
“I think I have made good progress since the last tournament. [Midtown] is a good experience to enhance your public speaking skills. It also really helps widen your social circle. When I arrived at the first round, I felt proud of the efforts that I put into preparing for the tournament, as well as proud that I put myself outside of my comfort level to do something I enjoy,” Wagner said.
As the day progressed, the stakes amongst different teams at the tournament grew. Throughout round two, NC’s team members remained confident, practicing their speaking skills amidst each other. This round, titled “Where we droppin’?,” focused on popular places in Atlanta, anywhere from the Georgia Aquarium to the Coca-Cola Museum. After the Warriors presented their speeches, each member of the team left their designated speaking areas with smiles on their faces and confidence in their souls.
After three dreadful hours of waiting, the Warriors proceeded to round three, titled “All Roads Lead to Atlanta,” a reference to the popular saying “all roads lead to Rome.” Round three arguably allowed for the highest level of creative liberty, as the speech topics remained incredibly vague, such as “10th street” or “Martin Luther King Avenue.” Still, the Warriors proceeded with passion and will, speaking their truth with witty remarks.
“Honestly, throughout the rounds, the first round was definitely the best, and I felt like it was just a topic, but I understood it so it was a good round. The topics were really interesting. I think it was a good play on Midtown and how we’re connecting it to Jimmy Carter and Martin Luther King. I think having a Carter King tournament and having all the topics center around Atlanta was a really good play on it,” Wagner said.
Overall, the tournament at Midtown High School served as an outstanding growth experience for the entire team. Not only did the Warriors score superbly, with over three first-place wins, they also enjoyed their time networking with other speech and debate teams and producing creative speeches.
