Speech team thanks Bigfork for supporting trip to nationals

Olivia Close, Micah Butler and Brody Henion were the first students in Bigfork Speech and Debate history to qualify for and attend the National Speech and Debate Tournament, this year, held in Des Moines Iowa.

The students, along with their coach Richalle Close and volunteer "Speech Dad" Scott close, left Bigfork on June 14 and returned, after a week of competition, on June 21. 

For their first time at the national level, these three students did amazingly well, knocking out round after round, with Micah Butler making it to the semifinal round in his category Storytelling. 

To achieve this goal, the team relied on generosity from the community through fundraising events. Olivia, Micah and Brody expressed their appreciation to the Bigfork community. 

Olivia Close:

To the community who supported our team through thick and thin, thank you. When I first joined this team, I had no idea about nationals, now, I have competed against champions! While I did not make it to finals, the fact that I even had this opportunity is amazing. So this is my thank you, to you. To those who donated money, thank you. To those who congratulated us when we made it, thank you. To those who have always treated us equal to the other sports, thank you. Without your donations and support, this experience would have never happened. Thanks to my community, I have learned ways to better myself as a speech competitor, and how to speak up for my beliefs in a public setting. Please continue to show your support for our team. We are immensely grateful for it. 

Much Love, 

Olivia Close

Brody Henion:

When asked to write a letter of gratitude for the community members, I found it hard to just to put it into one letter. To be able to realize myself and my teammates full potential is a surreal moment to say the least. Ever since I can remember, I have dreamed of being an actor and having a community that is supportive enough to erect the youth from the soils of our small town. We are the first students to ever qualify for nationals in Bigfork history! Thank you! It is unheard of for Micah and I, on our first year, for me to win first in state, for Micah to make it to semifinals at nationals, and for myself to compete along side the national champion in Dramatic Interpretation and get second place to her in a round! Thank you to my community for helping our team achieve our dreams.

Yours determined and youthful, 

Brody Henion

Micah Butler:

To all the community members who have made this trip possible, I thank you. The memories I have made on this trip I will forever cherish. I have learned the power young minds really do have in this country, and the impact even one voice can make. There were a few bumps along the way, considering it was our first year at nationals. I have experienced an exponential growth within my creativity as well as my will to fight until the end. Seeing how many amazingly talented competitors there are across America is so inspiring to me and pushes me to aspire to be them. It was such a surreal moment for me to see "The Big Stage" for the first time, I had been watching finalists perform on it all year while watching them online. Although the competition was cut throat, each of my teammates pushed through and gave it their all. The Bigfork Speech and Debate team appreciates all those who supported us and are so grateful for this lifetime opportunity. 

Sincerely, 

Micah Butler