Public speaking may be among many people’s most dreaded activities, but for a select group of students at Moorpark College, public speaking has become part of their lives.
Those students will showcase their work and talent in the annual “Night Before Nationals” event.
“Night Before Nationals” is the public performance that the Moorpark Speech and Debate team does prior to heading off to the Phi Rho Pi national tournament,” said Professor August Benassi, a speech team coach.
According to Benassi, the team has been preparing since August.
“It’s pretty entertaining,” said Benassi. “But aside from that, it’s an opportunity to become familiar with what the team does. Moorpark has the most successful community college speech team in the history of the activity, and yet many students and faculty on campus have no idea what it is we do specifically.”
Moorpark College student Daniel Spallinger, 19, proved Benassi’s point.
“Before taking speech class, I really didn’t know much about the team,” he said. “I just knew that there was one. But once I got to go to a performance they did for extra-credit, it taught me a lot about how to be a better speaker and it helped me in my class.”
Benassi encouraged other students on campus to come to watch the performance. Watching good speakers will make students better speakers themselves, which could help them in their Comm M01 Introduction to Speech class that is a required to graduate from Moorpark College. In addition, it helps support the team. But the “Night Before Nationals” performance also helps the team iteself.
“It’s great for our students on the team as they get an opportunity to perform in a large space, and in front of a large audience, which is something they will be doing when they reach elimination rounds at nationals,” said Benassi.
With the turnout expected to be large, possibly sold-out as it has before in past performances, getting tickets in advance is advised. To purchase tickets for “Night before Nationals,” go online to http://www.MoorparkCollege.edu/PAC, where tickets are $8 for students and $12 for adults.
