Prior to Saturday's mock meet, new speech students got advice from the veterans on the squad. Shown are first-year speechers along with one veteran (Tengwall). From left: Nick Lambert, Milly Hobbs, Kirsten Kampsen and Molly Tengwall.
(Video) B-B-E's speech team's mock meet awards on January 16.
The Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa speech team has a storied history and has been a force among area schools this entire century.
Twice since 2012, B-B-E's state entrants in the Class 1A state speech meet have catapulted the team to a ranking of seventh based on their cumulative performances. They've been a top-10 ranked team in the state of Minnesota in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Since 2000, 30 members of the B-B-E speech team have advanced and competed at the Class 1A state meet. Of those 30, 14 have earned individual section championships.
Last year's team, which had nine super talented seniors, landed eight in the state meet. Of those eight, Joe Reller, Riley Schumann, Austin Meyer and Molly Tengwall return. Six of B-B-E's state speechers came home with hardware, including Reller, Schumann and Tengwall.
The team has hauled in an impressive array of postseason hardware, including Sub-Section 5A-North championships in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014. They've been champions of the Central Minnesota Conference in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014.
In fact, since 2000, the B-B-E speech team has not earned playoff hardware just four times: 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2010.
At the Section 5A meet, B-B-E has earned one team championship, that coming in 2012. They've finished as runners-up in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2015. That has been no small task, as they've regularly battled St. Cloud Cathedral for top honors at sections. (CHS has had a strong speech program going back decades.)
Last year's B-B-E team was certainly a veteran squad, with just four members being in speech for the first time. This year, roughly half of the team of 28 students are new to speech.
To read the full story, get a copy of the Jan. 21 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice.
2016 B-B-E speech team schedule:
• January 23 - at Chanhassen
• January 30 - at Eden Prairie
• Thurs., Feb. 4 - at Annandale
• February 6 - at Apple Valley
• February 13 - lock-in
• Tues., Feb. 16 - at Willmar
• February 20 - at New London-Spicer
• February 27 - team trip TBD
• March 5 - at Sauk Centre
• March 12 - NFL (select 10 to 12 students)
• Thurs., March 17 - Central Minnesota Conference meet at Howard Lake
• March 19 - at Melrose Area
• Friday, April 1 - Sub-Section 5A-West meet at B-B-E high school!
• April 9 - Section 5A meet at Annandale
• April 15 - State meet at Lakeville North high school
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