Saturdays start at 4 a.m. in business professional dress, right?

Ah, Speech. The synonymous spring activity that brings out the best…and the worst of high school students who know its joys. It’s safe to say that I was a true speech geek in high school, and I was (and still am) proud of it.

With State Speech quickly approaching, here are 9 thoughts that I’ve had about Speech:

1. Matching colors and clothes with your partners was difficult at best…

Getting Duet Acting and OID teams to agree on a color wasn’t bad, but finding 2-5 matching shirts or ties in that color could be a struggle!

2. …but picking a script was the worst.

Half of your team wanted serious and the other half wanted humorous. Your coach had a different opinion altogether. You wanted fictional, and your coach wanted reality.

3. Procrastination at its finest

Maybe you despise making posters (me too). Maybe you didn’t iron your clothes the night before. Maybe you didn’t start memorizing until the night before. Or, maybe you switched your script two weeks before your first meet (been there, done that). Whatever it was, you made it through, and swore up and down never to do it again.

4. Talking to walls is expected

Seriously, if you didn’t do this, were you even in speech?

5. Nobody believed you when you said you got a workout in

Hauling extemp boxes to the library and carrying tables, chairs, stools, and wooden boxes between rooms that were never on the same floor was a great arm workout! Cardio was taken care of when you were double entered and had to run between rooms, demonstrate your athletic ability in a round, and jump on and off of tables.

6. You had a speech crush.

If you didn’t, you either were in a relationship, or lying.

7. So many blazers and slacks

Black, blue, gray, and a fun color if your coach allowed it, hang in your closet.

8. Saturdays were for the team.

They consisted of sleeping no later than 5 a.m.; packing a lunch (thanks Mom); presenting two, four, or six times; passing time in a gym with sleep deprived high school students; and singing in the van.

9. Speech claps

They’re so efficient, and make the winner feel special when they get a standing ovation. Also, script taps and OID turns aren’t applicable in the real world, but they’re so fun.

Speech was a big part of my high school years. I’m forever thankful for the friendships, fashion knowledge and etiquette, and confidence that it gave me.