COBDEN — Twenty-three young people stood before three judges, friends and family members and recited prepared speeches.
They were each participating in the Cobden Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion Public Speaking event.
Judges Randi Keith, Agnes Jackson and Joanne Schafer listened and judged the speeches for about three hours on Sunday.
The first place finisher in each of the three categories will participate in the zone competition on March 7 in Eganville.
While many of the participants recited their speeches, some just read them, which was unfortunate, because they lose points for that, said Gail Larose, youth education chair for the Cobden Legion. There are various things the students are judged on, including freezing up or going above the allotted time, she added.
The categories at the Cobden Legion are Grades1 to 3; Grades 4 to 6; and Grades 7 to 9. There is a category for students in Grades 10 to 12, but this year it was at the Eganville Legion. Next year, that category will be in Cobden, Ms. Larose said.
“One year they’re in Cobden, the next in Eganville, and then back to Cobden, and so on like that,” she said.
Ms. Larose said the speech points were close together, but the various penalties caused the slight edge for the winners.
This year’s time keepers were Sue Swant and Alisa Page while the scrutineers were Cobden Legion past-president Linda Tabbert and Bonnie McLaughlin. Joan Smithers and Eleanor Tabbert took care of registrations and preparing the certificates. Ms. Larose noted every participant received a certificate, while the top three also received a financial award.
Linda Tabbert praised the participants after the certificates were all presented.
“You all did an exceptional job today,” she said.
Speaking to those who listened throughout the three hours, Linda said, “It’s nice to see the parents and grandparents come out and listen to the speeches.”
