Notes on the Division B Speech Contest- October 29th, 2014
We had an impressive turnout for the Division B speech contest!
More than 40 toastmasters from our division gathered in Berlin at the North East
Utilities conference room to hear our local superstars speak in table topics
and give prepared Humorous speeches. I’m really proud to say that 7(!) of us were
from Cromwell, an impressive percentage at this level for just one club.
If all the contests had 7 club supporters
there should have been a lot more people in the room…
Table Topics: Who has been the greatest influence in your
life and why?
[Ogewu Agbese]:
Who? It didn’t strike me until I
took a trip to Nigeria. The things we
take for granted here are not so simple in Nigeria. If you want light, you have to light a
fire. If you want water you have to walk
2 miles, fill a bucket from a pump, come back and boil it. When I think of all that my Dad has done to
go from a village in Nigeria to come to the US and get a PhD, raise 5
children. That was a true inspiration.
[Lisa Vance]: I was
going to say my Mom, all the things people like about me come from my mom. But there are so many people who have
influenced me - and a fair number of them are about 3 feet tall – my
students. And many of them have done
something that many people thought they would never do. One of my students, the doctors said would
never walk. Several years later she was
running down a hill. And then there was
my husband, who before we married lived in Scotland and moved mountains to come
here. There was never just one person –
there were always many different people.
[Dane Wilcox]: My
wife! I recently celebrated by 30th
anniversary. It’s been a good marriage
and it’s been a bad marriage. She’s the
person who has goaded me to my own pursuit and my own goals. When I was laid off from work she said, Go
get that graduate degree. Then she said,
it’s time to get a job – here’s the application.
[Katy Curtis]: When I
was little the greatest influence in my life was my mother. She could do anything! When I was a teenager and had health issues
she went against the school administrators and defended me. As an adult she helped everyone, and helped
everyone and inspired everyone. She
made everyone feel wonderful and made me feel wonderful about my life. Even though she’s gone she continues to be
my inspiration.
Humorous Speeches
[Katy Curtis]: Wishes
can come true.
I had a wish, I wished to
become a lady. A long time ago I joined
the SCA – to live medieval time in the way they should have been with flush
toilets. Just one problem, they don’t
just make you a lady for sitting around and twiddling you thumbs. So I decided to make clothing. It came out two dimensional. So I danced up a storm, and before you ask –
Yes, most of my former partners have regained the ability to walk… So I decided to help people, by not hurting
them, and then eventually by helping them and even organizing the event. Then I eventually was called into
court.
[Annette Wright]: My favorite sport.
I recently invented a new sport – hiking and crocheting. Call it Hi-crochet! Very much like a biathlon. Focus concentration exactness. Cardio I get a total body workout… except for my left arm. So now I get to exercise and I’m completing a project, pursuing a hobby. So to get started: dust off your old fanny pack. The biggest obstacle out there is the ever present wacko – but I have my hook so I poke him in the eye. Went hiking with son’s boy scout troop – one young man fell and broke his ankle – but not me. I’m thinking about applying to the Olympic committee. Thinking the German alps, Oktoberfest time. If rhythmic gymnastics is a sport, I am so in!
[Bill Sullivan]: DMAIC
Six sigma is a
scientific methodology to eliminate waste in the work environment. Next time you pay your taxes make out two
checks, 70% to support their work and
30% to pay for the waste. Last week my
wife was exhausted telling me the laundry was piling up. Define what’s the problem. Measure, the problem starts in the hamper for
a week I sat in the hamper. Analyze,
started digging deeper (stated looking at the time the entire laundry process
took, timing every step. The first
problem I found was, the ‘sock bombs’
and the another was ‘python pretzel pants’. Implement improvements, we sat the kids down
and started some education. Remove the
intermediate basket return step, my daughter thinks it’s a dresser. Finally Control, I monitor this process every
day. So next my wife said, I was hoping
tonight you would just come home and DMAIC dinner.
[Joseph Oddie]: When
making plans keep it loose.
People don’t
plan to fail they fail to plan. I want
to add to that – when making plans don’t be so rigid. Planned a hiking trip to Europe we’ll planned
ahead. My family had given me a journal
to keep – write down the things that interest you. Aug 15th1978 Paris.
I noticed a beautiful woman on the train. Moments later she approached me she was Sylvie
Mallay a travel agent going to Leon.
Her hands move across my forearms to my wrist, all I could think of was
my Timex. I turned down her invitation
to stay with her in Leon. Over the next
few months I had some wonderful experiences but all I could think about was
her. When I got back to Paris I looked
her up. I called her at work but the
person who answered the phone said she wasn’t there. I grabbed a guy off the street and asked him
if he speaks English. He didn’t speak
French. My last night I ate in a
restaurant, alone. That night I left
never to see Sylvie again. Don’t be so
rigid that you can’t change your plans when an opportunity exists.
For table topics: Ogewu
Agbese
For humorous Speech contest:
Bill Sullivan
Second place finishers were:
For table topics: Katy Curtis
For humorous Speech contest:
Annette Wright
Come to the District
53 Fall Conference on November 22nd, in Bloomfield and see the next
level of the contest.
Respectfully submitted by
Jennifer Bourne
Secretary
Cromwell 5908
[posted by Hollie Rose, CC, CL
Thanks Jen!]
Jennifer Bourne
Secretary
Cromwell 5908
[posted by Hollie Rose, CC, CL
Thanks Jen!]
