By Brittany Snow

Staff Writer

   On Sep. 14, the Gabrielino High School Screamin’ Eagles Speech team hosted their first tournament, involving middle schoolers from Jefferson Middle School, novice, and participants from other teams. 

   High schools such as Arcadia, La Salle, Maranatha, and Rowland were in attendance. La Salle and Rowland did not place in the overall top 12.

   In the past, Icebreaker only included high school participants. This year, the event expanded to include middle schoolers Jefferson to compete amongst the high schoolers.

   “The atmosphere of the event is very comforting and welcoming.” stated junior, Tracy Ma. “People go up to each other and always ask how it’s going or how we’re feeling, just like they would to a long-time friend.”

   The Screamin’ Eagles are no stranger to hosting tournaments. They have been hosted many in the past, but this was the first event where Jefferson speech students collaborated with Gabrielino members.

   “I performed with Robert Fruto, an eighth grader from Jefferson and we had so much fun in all of our rounds, especially the radio interview round,” stated junior, Joan Tran. “I was surprised to have that much fun, because for the past two years it has been my least favorite Icebreaker event, but my partner made it really fun and enjoyable.”

   The Icebreaker tournament is held annually to introduce newcomers to the competitive environment, while maintaining a bond with the entire team.

   Freshman, Harold Dango and sophomore, Ruben Carvajal were one of the six Gabrielino duos apart of the top 12. The pair placed tenth overall.

   “My partner and I didn’t know each other before today, but it seemed like we connected and had a really great time,” Carvajal stated. “His performance was pretty remarkable for his level and lack of experience, because he held up against older, and possibly more experienced competitors.”

   This tournament in particular, consisted of four rounds of improvisation. The first round began with duo, followed by spar, radio interview, and ended with character debate. 

   “Despite most speech tournaments being serious and important, this one in particular was carefree, and helped a lot of the novices, like myself, get to know the veterans and the upperclassmen,” freshman, Rachel Young stated. 

   The top 12 performances overall received awards of either a flag, plastic trophy, or a container of Icebreakers Duo. The first six received a trophy and a package of mints, where the remaining six received a flag.

   Six Gabrielino teams placed in the top 12. 

   One of the team captains, senior Raquel Chavez said, “I am so excited to watch everyone grow, whether they’ve been in speech for 3 years or are just starting. I’m also excited to experience all my lasts in speech since I’m now going into my final year.”