Cromwell Community Toastmasters
Club 5908 ~ District 53
September 17, 2013
“Go Big or Go Home”
Attendees: members attended: Tom Alvord ACB, ALB,
Bo Bogart, Robert Dalo, Miroslav Grajewski, Elizabeth Landeen, Cheryl Mason
DTM, Phil Mason CC, Donald Ostertag, Sheetal Patel, Hollie Rose CC, Molly Seely, Crystal Storo CC, CL,
Brian Terry, Heather Turner ACS, Carolyn Warner, and Andrew Watt
Guests: Ute Brinkman
Business Meeting: Don Ostertag
started the meeting on time. Tonight was the Cromwell Community Toastmasters
Club Evaluation and Humorous Speech Contest. President Crystal Storo CC, CL
gave everyone a warm welcome and shared that fellow Toastmaster Carolyn Warner
became engaged. Congratulations and Best
Wishes to Carolyn! Crystal
then presented Contest Master Hollie
Rose CC. Hollie
explained the purpose of the contest, the rules and introduced the “Test
Speaker.” The Test Speaker gives the
speech that is evaluated during the Evaluation Contest.
Contest Roles:
Contest
Master: Hollie Rose CC
Test Speaker: Ute Brinkman of Eagle
Toastmaster Club
Speech: My Two
Boys
Ute started her speech by opening a case
containing a violin bow, removing the bow from the case, snipping the hair from
the bow and dropping the hair on the floor.
She repairs bows and is paid seventy dollars for rehairing bows. She spoke of the things that seventy dollars
could buy; one of her super, shiny, shoes, a fine meal, or she could use it to
help support her two boys in India.
Some of the money from rehairing bows gets sent to India each month and Ute told how
having two boys taught her to struggle with issues of how to spend her money.
Speech Evaluation
Contestant: - Tom Alvord ACB, ALB
Tom complimented Ute on giving an excellent speech, noted that it was
concise, she said what she needed to say and sat down. He commented on her skillful use of pacing
and pauses to let thoughts sink in. He
suggested that the first sentence to have been more audible and to enunciate a
few words more clearly. Tom summed up by
saying the speech was concise, well constructed and he thanked Ute for giving
her speech.
Speech Evaluation Contestant: Rob Dalo
Rob thanked Ute for being at the
contest. He talked about how she used
continuity, the continuity of her uses for the seventy dollars. Rob spoke of the drama of cutting the bow’s
hair and how Ute used hand gestures. Her
gestures helped move the speech along and showed struggle which was explained
by now having two boys to consider. Rob
felt she wrapped her speech up nicely but that Ute did not mention what she was
getting out of supporting her two boys.
Humorous Speech Contestant: Andrew Watt
What’s Funny Anyway?
Andrew began his speech by lying on the floor on his back with his
feet pointed toward the audience. He
asked – what makes something funny?
Andrew told us Hamlet is a very serious play, and when an actor is
portrayed as dead with his head towards the audience death is perceived to be
serious but that when feet face the audience it’s a signal it’s funny to be
dead. We heard examples of funny and not
funny. We heard folly in human beings is
funny, an example being how Queen Zenobia of Turkey maneuvered into a win, win
situation. The banana loaf dance at
Starbucks is NOT funny but at the same time it is funny. To twelve year olds, saying something that
sounds like a forbidden word is funny.
To keep from smirking we look at our feet, which brings us back to - feet
are funny – so if dying, do it head first.
Humorous Speech Contestant: Phil Mason CC
How Did I Live Through Adolescence?
Phil told us how when he was thirteen, he and his buddies, Joe and
Chris, had nothing to do but get in trouble.
When Jarts, BB Guns and Bows and Arrows were no longer amusing
Phil and his friends thought of creative ways to have fun with their toys.
Jarts were always a good time until someone got hit, and the BB guns were good
for target practice but were better to set matchbooks aflame. That would have been fine but the lit
matchbooks fell onto the hay bales propping up the targets. Ooops! The bows and
arrows were also fun, but became better when shot at gas cans which made a good
sound but didn’t ignite. Even more fun
was shooting the arrows towards their fort in the woods. It was an exciting
pastime until Phil stopped an arrow with his neck. He summed up by saying thirteen year old boys
are the dumbest thing on Earth.
Humorous Speech Contestant: Heather Turner ACS
My Daily Commute
Having switched from a ten minute to sixty minute
commute, it’s an interesting but scary route. Heather recognizes
the different BMWs she sees on a daily basis on route 5. We heard of Digger, the driver of the black
BMW who likes to exercise his index finger; Rocker – the red Z8 convertible
with it’s elderly driver energetically playing imaginary drums; and Gigolo –3
series BMW – M version - souped up and scouting chicks to wink at. Prima Donna – has a 5 series BMW and a filthy
car, at every light she’s engrossed in the mirror, either putting her hair up
or taking it down. Other drivers on Heather’s commute include the Organizer who
can multi task with steering wheel, makeup, cigarette, cell phone and coffee
without swerving; and the Snowman, who lets his dandruff blow out the
window. Heather left us with the query;
if there was a reality show about commuting, should it be named Real Commuter
Confessions of Connecticut Gigolos or Real Starbucks Schmucks of Route 5?
Timers: Miroslav
Grajewski, Molly Seely
Judges: Ute Brinkman,
Elizabeth Landeen, Cheryl
Mason DTM, Sheetal Patel
Chief Judge:
Crystal Storo CC, CL
Ballot Counters: Bo
Bogart, Brian Terry, Carolyn Warner
After the Evaluations and Speeches the judges voted and ballots
were collected. Rob Dalo had brought in
refreshments for everyone to enjoy.
Chief Judge, Crystal
handed the results to Contest Master Hollie
to announce. Hollie
presented certificates to all the contestants as follows: for the Evaluation Contest Tom Alvord - Runner
up and Rob Dalo - First Place Winner. For the Humorous Speech contest Phil
Mason CC - Second Runner Up, Heather Turner ACS
- First Runner Up and Andrew Watt - First Place Winner. Rob, Tom, Andrew and Heather will be
representing Cromwell Community Toastmasters at the Area 32 contest. President Crystal Storo said it was an
awesome evening, we all had some belly laughs and heard great speeches and
evaluations. She recognized and thanked
Contest Chair Elizabeth Landeen, for all her hard work, Contest Master Hollie Rose for all her hard work and recognized and
thanked stand-in Sergeant at Arms Don Ostertag for all he did. She thanked everyone for coming and mentioned
for those not paid up – six month dues are due – checks should be made out to
Cromwell Community Toastmasters and mailed to Treasurer Brian Fleming.
Congratulations and Thank You to all the contestants for a job
well done!
Next meeting: October 1, 2013
Respectfully submitted by
Bo Bogart,
Secretary
[posted by VPPR Hollie Rose CC]
