Local team makes waves in National Forensic League competition

On June 10, the 25-member CNMI National Forensic League Team left for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to compete with well over 2,500 other NFL students in a weeklong extravaganza of speeches, literary interpretations, and debate in both Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware and an opportunity to tour and experience the historic sites of Philadelphia and New York.

The team arrived on June 10 and dug right in with a brief run through of their primary events. Most of the participants competed in three events, while some others in four. They also got their first taste of historic Philadelphia by eating their first real Philly-Cheese Steak sandwich.

The team was housed at Temple University. J.B. Tabora of Marianas High School noted that “he enjoyed that we stayed in a dorm room. It helped us get an idea of what college life will be like.” This also provided the team easy access to the Philadelphia portion of the event, as well as easy on and off the Interstate Highway system for the Wilmington portion of the competitions.

Saturday was dedicated to both practice and touring of historic Philadelphia. The team headed for Independence Mall and after a quick lunch, boarded “trolleys” (busses that looked like trolleys) for a general city tour from the Independence Hall Area to the well-known “ROCKY” Steps at the Museum of Art. After the general tour, the group walked around the historic district, visiting the old 18th-century buildings so often seen in the American history texts. After dinner the team returned to Temple University for a round of practice before heading off to bed to ward off the dreaded “jet lag”.

Sunday was the official welcome to the NFL competition. That event was held in Lincoln Field Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. The large crowd of the NFL competition’s official welcome barely put a dent in the stadium’s huge capacity. The whole stadium was in full operation including the big TV screens in the end zones and the Eagles Mascot. After the opening ceremonies, it was back to “Temple U” and more practice.

Monday and Tuesday, June 13 and 14, were very similar. Up early, into the vans and off to Wilmington, Delaware and two of their area high schools where the first events were held. Each student did three rounds each day. The results were a major improvement over the last seasons, with students taking another step in “breaking through” to the final rounds in these initial events by finishing higher this year than last year in their rounds.

On Wednesday, the team headed south again for the supplemental events. Two students did break through in Prose Reading. Gretchen Smith of MHS and Dong Hwi Shim of Saipan Southern High School. This put them in the top 100, a very respectable place to be in a national competition with thousands of competitors.

That night, the NFL put on a dance party in the Constitution Center in Historic Independence Mall. The team was proud to see the flag of the CNMI displayed with the other states, commonwealths, and territorial flags under the United States Constitution. It also provided yet another opportunity for the students to “… have a chance to meet people from all over the world and make new acquaintances,” said Rose Wakit of Saipan Southern High School. Kelvin Rodeo of MHS had a similar feeling when he said, “The National Forensic League National Tournament was awesome! I had a great time watching the nation’s top competitors in speech and debates battle it out. I especially loved watching Original Oratory and Humorous Interpretation. I made a couple of friends from those categories, and that was the best part of my whole NFL experience, in terms of competition.”

On Thursday, the competition moved to Philadelphia, and was housed in the University of the Arts. This gave the students another university experience and more opportunity to compete.

There the CNMI delegates broke through three times, putting Dong Hwi Shim in the top 100 in Impromptu Speaking and Joan Liwanag of MHS and Pricilla Norman of Calvary Christian Academy in the top 100 in the storytelling competition.

Friday was spent watching various final rounds, with the students evaluating their performance against other competitors to learn how they can improve so that we could continue to move up in the standings as we have over the past years.

Saturday was “side trip” day, with a trip to New York that included historic sites of Lower Manhattan and the Washington Square area, a Broadway show and a visit to the top of the Empire State Building. Commenting on the touring of cities, Kelvin Rodeo noted, “It was truly unforgettable to see the many historic sites in the United States. My favorite part of New York was the Empire State Building. I will never forget looking down from the top of the Empire State and getting really dizzy!”

Sunday and Monday saw goodbyes for some as they moved on to visit families or to other educational activities. Eleven members left for the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln Nebraska.

Reflecting on their experiences, Matthew Quiatchon of MHS noted that, “NFL was a fun and wonderful experience, that will stay with me the rest of his life. It awakened this passion inside me to work hard.” Rose Wakit, on her way to attend St. Louis University, feels that “the NFL has proved useful in my life because it has enhanced her speaking abilities.”

All the coaches agreed that the team did well and worked hard. It was not an easy trip, but one that yielded a variety of rewards to our Team members.

The CNMI Team extends their heartfelt appreciation to Commissioner of Education Dr. Rita Hocog Inos and Deputy Commissioner for Instruction Rita Sablan, Steve Smith, and all the federal programs and other PSS staff for their assistance and support. (PR)