Last Chance, Rookies

March 13, 2010

The Bronx Prep Speech Team brought both of its Rookie Sensations up to Iona High School in New Rochelle, for their last chance to join the veterans on the squad and qualify for the NYS Championships.

The team was made up of Chris Moncrief and Keegon Robinson (who competed in what was, without a doubt, the most entertaining Student Congress session of the entire forensics season) and Rookie Sensations Sahirah Johnson and Norberto Troncoso, each competing in JV Oral Interpretation (Prose/Poetry).

While Chris and Keegon were only there to support their squad and enjoy themselves, Sahirah and Norberto were putting it all on the line. They needed a top three finish to get themselves a half-qualification for states.

As he has all year, Norberto competed with zest and assurance, performing a collection of poetry entitled "Freaks" and a short story by David Sedaris. Norberto has had an extremely strong Rookie season, competing in a slew of tournaments, working diligently and showing improvement each time out. However, it just wasn't meant to be at this tournament, and he finished just out of the running.

Meanwhile, Sahirah Johnson non-chalantly collected her hardware for third place to go along with her second half-qualification in JV OI. Her finish puts her in pretty impressive company as she joins an already stacked Bronx Prep team, ready for action at the State Championships.

This tournament marked the end of the speech regular season and begins the anticipation for the postseason, which features the Big Three tournaments. Here's a rundown:

New York State Championships (4/23-24, Mineola, NY) -
Chris Moncrief (Oratory)
Keegon Robinson/Tiffany McLarty,
Deborah Allen-Carr/Tayshawn Layton (Duo Interpretation)
Sahirah Johnson (JV Oral Interpretation)

CFL Nationals (5/28-31, Omaha, NE) -
Chris (Oratory)
Keegon/Tiffany (Duo),
Tayshawn (Dramatic Performance)

NFL Nationals (6/13-20, St. Louis, MO) -
Chris (Oratory)

Bronx Prep's own preparing to compete against the best in the state, and in the country? These are huge tournaments coming down the pipe and each entry has a chance at going deep in all of these competitions.

If you haven't seen these kids perform yet, now is your chance. As April, May and June roll around, we could have confirmed that some of the country's top forensics competitors come from right here at Bronx Prep.