District Program Quality Director Patti Walter is pleased to publish the results of the District 53 Contests for the 2022-2023 program year, held on May 6, 2023.
International
The International Speech Contest was held at 7:45 pm on 6 May 2023 at the Springfield Sheraton Monarch Place hotel during the District 53 Annual conference. Chad Babcock served as Contest Toastmaster and Mark Wing served as Chief Judge.
The placed winners were:
1. Michael Whitehouse
2. Donna Plen
3. Craig Moore
Tall Tales Contest
The Tall Tales Contest was held at 10:45 am on 6 May 2023 at the Springfield Sheraton Monarch Place hotel during the District 53 Annual Conference. Rick May served as Contest Toastmaster and Mark Wing served as Chief Judge.
The placed winners were:
1. Christine Austin
2. Poonam Hassija
3. Kevin Haven
Our thanks go out to all the contestants, timers, ballot counters, chief judges, voting judges, tie breaking judges, contest chairs, and contest Toastmasters, as well as to the audiences, at club, Area, Division and District levels, who made our hybrid program so successful this year.
We are 2 months into 2023 and there is so much that has happened — and so much to come.
Here is what is going on with Program Quality, which deals with our education, training, and contest programs.
Patti Walter, Program Quality Director
Officer Training: Officer training is completed. My thanks for the help of Chad Babcock. Stephanie Roy and Mohan Padamati, who put the program together. Also, thanks to the number of facilitators that stepped up to present at one of our sessions. Missed training? Don’t worry! If you missed training you can find other Districts’ trainings on our website.
Conference: COME ONE COME ALL!!!! TICKETS ARE ON SALE!!! Come join us at our 2023 spring conference. “SPRINGboard to Success.” The committee has planned a jammed pack day. Make a weekend of it and spend Sunday at the Basketball of Fame or MGM studios. Accredited Speaker Joe Grondin DTM will be doing our keynote along with other sessions. Come see old friends and make new ones. Looking forward to seeing you all.
Contests: The contest season is upon us. Area contests are under way and Division Contest will follow shortly afterwards. Consider volunteering for a functionary position or a judge if you are qualified. Send me an email at pqd@d53tm.org and I will get your name to our Chief Judge Andrew B. Watt DTM. A list of the scheduled contests is on our d53tm website. Come enjoy some great speakers.
Also remember we have other monthly events going on such as MMEP and Officer Forums. MMEP is open to all members and is held the first Wednesday of the month. This is a great place for members to get their questions answered and learn more about Toastmasters. It is held the first Wed of the month. TheOfficer Forum was created to give officers a chance to network. With elections coming up soon this is a great place to introduce potential officers to the role. So bring a guest or two…Dates and details can be found in our monthly newsletter and on this District calendar. (Note: if you are not receiving our monthly newsletter, please let me know so we can add you to the list at pqd@d53tm.org.
Remember, we are a village. I am asking you to step up to the plate and help us. The District has many volunteer positions open. Many will fit nicely into your Level 4 and Level 5 projects. Even if you only have 1 or 2 hours a week or 2 hours total, we can find something for you to do to build your confidence as a public speaker, and develop your leadership skills!
District 53 has appointed a Chief Judge for the 2022-2023 contest season.
Andrew B. Watt, DTM will serve in this role until and unless a member of his club disqualifies him from contest participation. Questions may be directed to him.
With regard to Rule 3.B.3 and 3.B.4 in the Toastmasters Contest Rulebook 2022-2023, the District has decided that only one (1) contestant from each contest at club, Area, or Division will advance to the next level of competition, regardless of whether that contestant is the winner or the runner-up.
All contests at Area level and above must be held, even if there is only one (1) contestant competing, in order to ensure that minimum and maximum time rules are respected.
District Director John J. Hogan and Program Quality Director Patti Walter have announced the following contest program for the 2022-2023 year:
The International Contest, leading to the World Championship of Public Speaking
The Tall Tales Contest, ending at the District 53 Conference in May
The contests for each level of competition must occur by the following dates:
Club Contests must take place by January 15, 2023
Area Contests will take place between January 16, 2023 and March 15, 2023
Division Contests will take place between March 16, 2023 and April 16, 2023
The District Contests will occur as part of the District Conference in May 2023
All contests at all levels must conform to the Toastmasters Contest Rulebook for the 2022-2023 program year. Questions should be directed to Patti Walter as the Program Quality Director.
District 53 held its International Speech contest on the morning of May 7, 2022 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am.
Contest Winner Amrita Banerjee with the District Executive Leadership Team — Club Growth Director Patti Walter, Program Quality Director John J. Hogan, and District Director Akihiro Ishii, photographed on Zoom.
In the District International Speech contest, one contestant from each of our five Divisions in the District have a speaking period of five to seven minutes to deliver a speech on a topic of their choosing. Each contestant has advanced from a specific club in District 53, and arrives at the stage after competing at the Area level against 3-4 other clubs, and the Division level competing against contestants from four other Areas. The winner of the District International Speech contest then advances to the Region Quarterfinals, and possibly to the International Semifinals and the World Championship of Public Speaking (WCPS).
District 53 2021-22 International Speech Contest Winners: Third Place Kevin M. Finn, Second Place Brian David Crawford, and First Place Winner Amrita Bannerjee, photographed on Zoom
The winners of the contest were:
First Place: Amrita Banerjee
Second Place: Brian David Crawford
Third Place: Kevin M. Finn
In the interviews following the contest, both the winners and other contestants thanked the judges, audience members and others for the opportunities to grow and learn as speakers and presenters. They reminded the audience that new Toastmasters should take every opportunity that they can get to speak, and that, under the pressure of preparing to speak for an audience, practice brings improvement and gracefulness.
Many thanks to all the contestants, representing the five divisions of District 53:
Division B: Donna Peterson, representing New Dawn Toastmasters, with a speech titled “Lead With Your Heart.”
Division C: Kevin M. Finn, representing Cedar Hill Toastmasters, with a speech titled, “M-O-M.”
Division D:Brian David Crawford, representing Speechweavers, with a speech titled, “42.”
Division E: Amrita Banerjee, representing Bethlehem Club, with a speech titled, “The Choice.”
District 53 2021-22 International Speech Contest, Division Contest Winners: Division A Sandra Weiner, Division B Donna Peterson, Division C Kevin M. Finn, Division D Brian David Crawford, Division E Amrita Bannerjee, photographed on Zoom.
Our Thanks also go out to our senior functionaries, the Program Quality Director John J. Hogan, and the Contest Chair, Contest Master and Chief Judge, who together assembled the team of more than fourteen functionaries, judges, and back-up leaders who managed the contest behind the scenes.
Contest functionary team John J. Hogan, Jennifer Cimilluca, Dave Pelland, and Elizabeth Keeling, photographed on Zoom.
Program Quality Director John J. Hogan
Contest Chair Jennifer Cimilluca
Contest Master Dave Pelland
Chief Judge Elizabeth Keeling
and thanks again to all our contest functionaries, judges, and audience members.
District 53 held its Table Topics contest on the evening of May 5, 2022 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
In the District Table Topics contest, contestants from each Division in the District are given the same question with no advance preparation, and try to respond with a 1-2 minute speech that has a beginning, middle, and end and reaches a definite conclusion. Each contestant has advanced from a specific club in District 53, and arrives at the stage after competing at the Area level against 3-4 other clubs, and the Division level competing against contestants from four other Areas. The District Table Topics Contest is the highest level of competition in this speech contest type; Toastmasters International also has the International Speech Contest, which advances through three more levels beyond the District level (Regional Quarterfinals, International Semifinals, and the World Championship of Public Speaking).
District 53’s District Table Topics Contest winner 2021-22, Cathy Kittle of NYS Forum Toastmasters
The question was:
The theme of World Earth Day 2022 is ‘Invest In our Planet Earth’. What have you done, OR what will you plan to do in the future, to “Invest In Our Planet Earth”?
