The DCHS Improvised Duet Acting teams dominated on Saturday, April 1 at the Golden Plains speech meet. The IDA duo of Aidyn Witt and Weston Barnes took first, and the IDA duo of Keely Huff and Jordon Ruzicka - second.
Aidyn and Weston have placed in every meet they have competed in and had already qualified for State Champs. Keely and Jordon qualified for State Festival earlier in the week, but their second-place finish at Rexford, qualified them for State Champs.
What is the difference between State Champs and State Festival? Qualifying and placing at State Champs is the goal for all forensics participants. It’s the premier speech contest – where participants are rated and ranked. There is a champion, a 2nd place, and so on.
Qualifying for Champs depends on the size of the tournament. Participants have to place first or second in a tournament with 6-24 contestants. (If the tournament has fewer than 6 contestants, only those who place first qualify for state champs. If the tournament has at least 26 contestants, those who place in the top three qualify for state champs.)
Qualifying for State Festival is an achievement, but unlike State Champs, those who qualify for State Festival, perform only once for a rating of I, II, III, or IV – much like State Music Festival. Qualifying for State Festival, like qualifying for State Champs, depends on the size of the tournament.
For example, Tuesday at the Phillipsburg meet, there were 21 IDA teams. Aidyn and Weston placed second, and Keely and Jordon placed fourth. The second-place finish qualified Aidyn and Weston for Champs, but the fourth-place finish, qualified Keely and Jordon for Festival.
At Golden Plains, since there were over six teams competing, and our teams finished one and two, both teams qualified for State Champs.
Also competing in Rexford were Cheyanna Hale and Jordon in poetry, as well as Keely in prose. Although they didn’t qualify for state, Coach Gina Witt said, they “all improved in their individual events.”
State Speech is May 6 in Wichita.