Six winners (at the Division Level) competed in two contests at the Fall District Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And what great contests!
These Six Division Winners started competing over two months ago – with nearly 300 other contestants (in each contest) – in several eliminating rounds. Contests took place in New Mexico, western Texas, and the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Humorous Speech Contest
Speakers delivered five- to seven-minute speeches on wide-ranging topics, and were judged on content, humor, organization, and delivery.
- 1st Place: Byron Taylor (Amarillo, TX) “Life Lessons Learned From TEXAS and the Voices Inside My Head”
- 2nd Place: Stuart Gorelick (Albuquerque, NM) “April Fools”
- 3rd Place: Matt Stolt (Midland, TX) “Time Equals a Woman”
Matt Stolt (3rd, Midland, TX), Byron Taylor (1st, Amarillo, TX), George Yen (President of Toastmasters International), Stuart Gorelick (2nd, Albuquerque, NM)
Byron’s winning speech was about success when he opened himself up to opportunities and ‘listening to the good voices in your head.’ In his humorous speech, he recanted riding a horse for the first time, wearing cutoffs with knee-high socks and boots, along with other humorous experiences. A favorite quote of Byron’s is from King Louis XIV: “Little can withstand a man who can conquer himself.”
Taylor believes every Toastmaster has a responsibility to invite someone to their Toastmaster club meeting. Why? He believes Toastmasters provides everyone the opportunity to improve their communication and leadership skills, thereby improving their life.
Congratulations to the other contestants, too, who were winners in their Division: Dusty McGowan (Santa Fe, NM), Jayson Cardon (Rio Rancho, NM), and Kay Josephson (El Paso, TX)
Evaluation Speech Contest
The District conference included an Evaluation Contest. Each of the six Division winners listened to and evaluated Alan Berger (Santa Fe) who delivered a 5-7 minute speech. The Evaluation Contest winners test are:
- 1st Place: Eric Tonningsen (Albuquerque, NM)
- 2nd Place: Matt Cross-Guillen (Albuquerque, NM)
- 3rd Place: Tim Evans (Lubbock, TX)
Eric Tonningsen (1st, Albuquerque, NM), George Yen (President of Toastmasters International), Linda Leazar (District 23 Governor), Matt Cross-Guillen (2nd, Albuquerque, NM), Tim Evans (3rd, Lubbock, TX)
Congratulations to the other contestants, too! Athena Beshur (Santa Fe, NM), Kari Putman (Amarillo, TX), and Charlie Stapler (El Paso, TX)
