Solon’s Speech and Debate team took second in the OHSSL (Ohio High School Speech League) Finals after losing to Jackson by only one point on March 4. However, the team has another huge event to look forward to this June: Nationals.

With about 200 competitors in each event, eight members from Solon made the cut to compete at the national level in mid-February during the national qualifying tournament. These members include Taleen Avitsian, Rachel Rothschild, Rohit Rambhatla, Vishal Sundaram, Vinay Bodapati, Luke Qin, Max Liu and Mariella Stephens.

“It is a great honor to compete on the nation’s highest stage for Speech and Debate. I’ve devoted countless hours to preparing and competing this year and am happy to see my labors pay off,” said senior Vishal Sundaram, qualifier for Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking. “It’s definitely been a journey driven by effort and patience and I feel incredibly honored to be representing the North Coast District and SHS at the national level this summer.”

Luckily, Sundaram is no stranger to the level of competition that he and the team will face in Birmingham, Ala. His experience will undoubtedly give him an edge that other schools will wish they had.

“This is actually my second time attending Nationals, as I was also fortunate enough to qualify last year,” Sundaram said. “While I’m obviously a little bit nervous, I feel like they are the ‘good’ kind of nerves. Since I’ve gone before, I know what to expect and know what I need to do to improve. With this in mind, I’m hoping this year to improve upon my performance from last year.”

Senior Mariella Stephens, qualifier for Student Congress, revealed what has allowed her to prosper in Speech and Debate and why qualifying for Nationals is especially important to her.

“My style of preparation definitely isn’t the most traditional approach, but I’ve figured out what works best for me and worked hard to implement my own strategies to prepare for competitions,” Stephens said. “I know I’m a senior so it’s not like Nationals has any impact on college or anything like that for me, but I’m still really excited to have this crazy opportunity to compete with kids from around the country.”

According to Stephens, having the skill to compete is half the battle for anyone wanting to succeed in Speech and Debate. There are other obstacles, such as timidity or insecurity, that Stephens personally has been able to overcome en route to her first national qualification.

“I’ve had a rather strange experience with Speech and Debate over the years just because I was only actually on the team sophomore and senior year,” Stephens said. “I know sheer skill is important, but for me at least, gaining confidence over the years and just having the support from those around me is what has really prepared me.”

Caroline Kish, a senior and alternate for the national tournament, has been in Speech and Debate for four years, competed in four different events, and has competed at States every year. Even though she is serving as a backup, Kish is overjoyed to be a part of the Nationals experience, to say the least.

“Being an alternate to Nationals is an incredible honor,” Kish said. “While I would have liked to participate, I am still extremely excited for those who will be participating. I have never been to the national tournament, [but] I am super excited to go this year. I think that Birmingham is going to be one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

For some, Speech and Debate is merely a hobby or just another extracurricular. But for Kish and her fellow qualifiers, it means much more than just that. Win or lose this summer, it’s clear that the impact the sport has had transcends anything a trophy can give.

“To tell you what Speech and Debate means to me is like asking me what basketball means to LeBron James,” Kish said. “It is what I live for, what I look forward to every Saturday between the months of November and March…public speaking is something that some people are terrified to do, but for me, it’s easier than math. It is one of the most important things in the world to me. I have grown closer to people than I ever thought possible. I live for competition, and [I] love to perform, [and] Speech and Debate combines the two.”