One Clap Speech and Debate

Camp One Clap 2, Episode 15: Alexis Worthen on Horror Films, Debate, and Model UN

• Lyle Wiley / Alexis Worthen • Season 6 • Episode 15

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6:15 - Camp One Clap 2024: Day 15

For notes and details about the episode, check out the website here:
https://www.oneclapspeechanddebate.com/post/camp-one-clap-2-episode-15-alexis-worthen-on-horror-films-debate-and-model-un

Join us at Camp One Clap as we welcome back Alexis Worthen, a quad ruby and Academic All-American Speech and Debater, who humorously admits her limited survival skills. This episode takes you on Alexis's journey from dominating high school debate to studying Political Science at Simmons University. Alexis reminisces about her time in high school Speech and Debate and discusses her current adventures in Model UN. Prepare to be captivated by Alexis's love for the horror genre as she discusses "The Last of Us" and its deep reflections on humanity. We dive into the emotional intricacies of Ari Aster’s "Hereditary" and "Midsommar," touching on themes of denial, grief, and mental health. We also highlight the unique style of A24 films and Nicolas Cage's greatness.  Don't miss it!

If you’d like to join the discussion here at One Clap Speech and Debate, shoot me an email at lylewiley@gmail.com or reach out here on the website.

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Lyle Wiley:

well, hey, campers, it's about that time, time for a new day in the lovely wasteland that is the terrifying clapocalypse. Aren't you glad you've arrived at camp one clap two? Joining us today is camp one clap alum alexisen, I'm your camp director and host of the One Clap Speech and Debate podcast. Wow, wiley, sure, the clapocalypse has been scary, but hopefully there have been some helpful and inspirational nuggets here at camp to fuel up coaches and competitors for another transformative speech and debate season that's just ahead. Quick reminder check the One Clap socials for today's social media challenge. Quick reminder check the OneClap socials for today's social media challenge. Let me tell you a little bit about Alexis.

Lyle Wiley:

Alexis Worthen is a quad ruby and academic All-American formerly debating for Natrona County High School. She's also a three-times national competitor. Alexis has competed in various events but has stuck with public forum, extemp and congressional debate for the longest. She's currently a sophomore at Simmons University, studying political science and public policy. She serves as a senator for her student government and as a treasurer for her model UNT. Alexis is here to talk about movies, her speech experience and a whole lot more. It's time to jump right into my interview with second year camp staffer Alexis Worthen. Welcome back to Camp One Clap, alexis Worthen. Hey, it's so great to have you here. I'm really excited to be here, yeah, thanks. Thanks for coming back. You contributed to Camp One Clap last year as a camp counselor and this year on camp staff. Last year you did a great series on capturing the Congress crown there you go.

Lyle Wiley:

A lot of, a lot of C's, a lot of C's in there, oh yeah.

Alexis Worthen:

Alliteration killer. But, you know, I.

Lyle Wiley:

It was a great series and anyone who's listening should go back and check it out if you want to get the basics of doing Congress with Alexis. But yeah, you're not in the speech and debate universe technically at the moment, but we're going to talk about some of the things you're up to now Model UN and we're going to talk about scary movies, the horror genre a little bit, and you're going to be here helping us out with the clapocalypse, so we appreciate that. Let's set the tone. Let's talk about fear. We are going to be talking about horror films, so I'll get more hot takes on your favorites. But what is your favorite? Scary story, like movie, book short story?

Alexis Worthen:

This one I sat with a little bit, but I think something that really got me into the more I guess horror, um scary stuff out there was. I was never like really into it or like the like zombie universe, but I think I watched um the tv series the last of us and well, though it's not like a very traditional like horror scary stuff, but it really, I think kind of put me on that path. Um, I liked it because of all the connections it had to wyoming and, yeah, all like the universal truths about humanity. That I think horror does a really good job of. I guess like talking about without I don't know, the direct delve into it. I think it's a nice parallel. It holds up a beer. I think it's what I would say about horror to society if done right, and I thought the last of us did a really nice job of executing that. So that would be my personal favorite.

Lyle Wiley:

Cool. Good choice. I well, I assume, good choice. I played the video game in the way back. I've not watched the series. I love Pedro Pascal and I probably will at some point, but I just know it's like not the most like uplifting things, so I'm just kind of got to be in the right mindset for it.

Alexis Worthen:

There's more. There's more crying than there is like like good yeah.

Lyle Wiley:

It's a I mean unlike most horror, most horror, you know, it's like kind of depressing no yeah, yeah, no, there's there's no winning at the end.

Alexis Worthen:

There's never any winning with it not gonna lie, not much.

Lyle Wiley:

No, it's true, uh, but uh, in the same vein, uh, I wanted to ask if the apocalypse were upon us and we had this post-apocalyptic wasteland, like something out of a dystopian novel or movie. On a scale of 1 to 10,. What's your chance of survival here, Alexis?

Alexis Worthen:

Entirely depends on where I am. I think if you know something goes down, you know event like occurs. If I'm in Wyoming, I think I'll be okay. Um, I have family members who are a little bit more, um, survivalist than I might be, and so I think I can rely on my resources fairly well. But if I'm in like Boston where I go to school, it's over. There's no chance like zero. I'm gone.

Lyle Wiley:

So, standing on your own two feet in the world of the apocalypse, you're not feeling great about it.

Alexis Worthen:

Could make it maybe a solid week, but I don't think that my talents lie in that world.

Lyle Wiley:

If there were an apocalypse, do you have any skills that you'd bring to the table here, like tell about.

Alexis Worthen:

I think I'm a fairly decent cook and resourceful enough, I think, to find it. I think I hopefully have some knowledge about food safety and emergency wilderness. I can make a fire that one's good, so, but like other than that, like really probably not, I don't have. I'd lack a lot of physical strength. I think that's my ultimate weakness your ultimate weakness yeah, that's uh strength it's, it's been.

Lyle Wiley:

I've only spoke to a few people, but so far speech and debaters don't seem like the most confident in their ability to survive in this kind of environment. No, no, but well, you know hopefully we won't ever have to find out.

Alexis Worthen:

So I pray in every day.

Lyle Wiley:

So let's go back in time a little bit. I want to hear about what got you initially into the speech and debate universe, like what's your speech and debate story?

Alexis Worthen:

Um, my parents actually met on the UW debate team. That's where they met for the first time. They didn't never, they were never partners, they can never be partners, but they were both debaters and they got married and had kids and, um, when I, you know, got to high school, I started, I was in middle school and, like elementary school, I was pretty strong. I was a dancer, I did mostly like ballet and jazz and stuff that was my like kind of thing. And then I transitioned into like more into theater. And then when I get to high school, it kind of at least in the Toronto County um, theater and speech debate tend to run pretty parallel to each other. Um, and so I transitioned that world into that world.

Alexis Worthen:

So I originally was like a drama kid. I was was a drama and humor kid. I found cause, I assumed that that would be like you know, since if I liked theater, that's what I would be good at and I was truly pretty terrible at. It was not my strong suit whatsoever. So I tried debating and then it was over from there. That's what I when I realized that I liked the most.

Lyle Wiley:

That is interesting. Uh, it feels as though I mean just from seeing you compete and knowing about your skills, like I, it's interesting to me that you you started in that other universe because it's like you're handmade for debate in congress, like you're so, so good at that stuff I did my best.

Alexis Worthen:

I wouldn't say that I'm like. I would never have claimed to be like the best, but I'd really love doing it.

Lyle Wiley:

So well, that's cool. I mean you're funny, so like humor seems like it could be a possibility so you've kind of transitioned to a different sort of activity in college. You're doing Model UN at your school. What's that like? How is it different, how is it kind of similar to the debate university kind of existed.

Alexis Worthen:

My school's really small. I go to an all-girls school in the middle of Boston, which I really love, but there's about 1,700 people there, a little bit more than that which I really love, but there's about 1,700 people there, a little bit more than that. So it's really about the same size as like NC or Kelly, kelly, walsh or East or anything like that. So it's not that much different. We we don't have a debate team, so we I joined our Model UN team. It's the difference between I find it's really interesting, between I find is really interesting, um, because the model UN it's not like debate competitions, at least in high school level, where you're going like every single weekend. I think we usually max to like three um conference, three to four conferences a year, um, but it's like having nationals every single time. It's like you're competing at that same level of intensity and um hours as nationals is. So I don't know, I really enjoy it. My school's really small. We don't really um, we're not as focused on winning. We love what we do, but we're not that we end up competing a lot with a lot of bigger schools. Harvard's Model UN conference is like one of our biggest of the year. We're going up against schools like Georgetown and Brown and West Point and all sorts of like Ivy schools that you know. We're not, you know, at that same level because we don't pay coaches to come teach us, we don't have to pay to be on the team, we didn't have to audition, we just kind of show up and do it for fun and that's. I really like that um. But it still provides a lot of opportunities to um network and expand and um, I think, refine, like your um speaking abilities and your um knowledge about the outsider world. So I would say that in that capacity it's really similar to congress, as in like the level of um, like the type of competition, but you also.

Alexis Worthen:

The thing about model un is you also have to. You can't not be friends with people in the same way that you are with Speech and Debate. With Speech and Debate you don't have to be friends with any of your other competitors. You can be pretty cutthroat. But Model UN, there's a good amount of allegiances and networking that you have to do in order to succeed, which I like a lot because I think it's more reminiscent of the real world. But there are, you know, there are shifts. I do miss competing as regularly as I did when I did speech debate. That was something that I really liked the routine and um consistency of it.

Lyle Wiley:

It does sound like a pretty fun activity though.

Alexis Worthen:

Yeah, I really enjoy it. It's, um, I get to, you know, hang out with my friends once a week and we prep. Um, I get to you know, hang out with my friends once a week and we prep, and then, once we get there, it's a three to four days of having a really good time awesome.

Lyle Wiley:

How many total like, uh, I don't know what. Do they call them tournaments, they call them conferences.

Alexis Worthen:

Yeah, um it depends on how often you compete um in our circuit. There's's, I think there's. Usually there tends to be about 15 to 20 per year, but we don't go to all of those we go to, like, UChicago's conference, we go to Harvard's conference, we go to Boston University's conference and then we go to McGill's conference usually.

Lyle Wiley:

It sounds like a pretty awesome time.

Alexis Worthen:

Yeah, I really enjoy it.

Lyle Wiley:

It sounds like a lot less pressure in a lot of ways too. Yeah, for sure which is kind of nice, I'm sure sometimes. Yeah, you know, going from talking about model un uh to to horror uh you and I are both like horror um fans for sure. I don't know if I'd say junkies, but we both think that horror actually has a lot to offer, absolutely so I thought it'd be cool if we had a little discussion about that. Why and how long have you been interested in the horror genre?

Alexis Worthen:

It's definitely a more recent, I think, aspect.

Alexis Worthen:

I think I started getting more into movies, particularly two or three years ago, and then horror was really about a year, year and a half ago.

Alexis Worthen:

Something I like about horror is that it's not, it doesn't have the requirement to take itself seriously all the time, I think. I think it's a lot. It reminds me a lot of some more um classic and like shakespearean um techniques of theater, without over overly relying on like naturalism, acting um, but it can still like like the thesis is like still imparted, I think, throughout the films are still super important, which is why um I really like Ari Aster movies. I think that like there's still like that like message and that like compulsion to, you know, examine yourself afterwards is still in the mood, like in the movie, without like necessarily going through an entirely realistic situation, which I think is a nice like break from reality. It reminds they remind me a lot of um like dreams or nightmares that your body, you know, puts yourself through in order to better um process what's going on in your daily life, even though it's not entirely, it's entirely not realistic.

Lyle Wiley:

Yeah, for sure, I think, from like an artistic standpoint too, like it presents some interesting opportunities to explore taboo or you know maybe more difficult things to talk about in a way that's acceptable. Maybe more difficult things to talk about, um, in a way that's acceptable I mean more acceptable in some circles than others, I guess absolutely still pretty acceptable um and oh my gosh like uh, really really interesting part of the horror movie situation from a practical standpoint is how affordable they are to make um right and, and so there's a good return financially on horror films most of the time, which is pretty interesting too.

Lyle Wiley:

Uh, long legs just opened with 22 million dollars this weekend, like which for uh indie your nick.

Alexis Worthen:

Cage heart is so happy right now oh for sure.

Lyle Wiley:

Yeah, I haven't seen it yet, but I think it's just, it's just really interesting how, uh, I mean they've done a great job with marketing, so I mean there's a lot of work that went into that number. But that's, I mean, that's impressive for a neon film to open the weekend with 22 million dollars when there's a despicable me that's picking up 40 million dollars of folks right now on the weekend already. I mean because the film industry is not doing great. So, that's a really, really good amount of money for a film.

Alexis Worthen:

Yeah, independent movie no, but it's doing better than Maxine, which I wasn't expecting, but I'm excited about.

Lyle Wiley:

So what can we learn from horror films Like and we talked about you talked about this a little bit already, but you know, embracing these dark parts inside of us and our fears, like what's good about that?

Alexis Worthen:

Um, I don't think anything good can come out of denial. I think that's again when we talk about the first stages of grief there's not a path forward if you just live in an existent denial. I guess you know pleasurable or all that you know. Something that you want to put forth out instantaneously is really, I think, empowering, honestly, if you, you know, get past that denial stage. Horror does a really nice job of cutting down the facetiousness of society. That sounds really full of myself, but at the end of the day, I think it does a really nice job of teaching us that we're all innately human in a way that I don't think. At the end of the day, we all feel the same, we all have emotions and we're made of flesh and bone and I think that horror does a really nice job of encapsulating that and reminding us, like at our core, what humanity really is all about, I think, if done well.

Lyle Wiley:

but there is a certain level of like horror movies that are there just to like kind of make you laugh a little bit sure, well, and anytime you're playing with like the boundaries of what's acceptable and like the way that we think about, oh, art and society and stuff, uh, there's always, there's always the, the potential for things to become more spectacle than than meaningful, I suppose. Um, which I think is a, you know an affair criticism at times, but then I you know, boundaries on art is.

Lyle Wiley:

we don't really want to put too many boundaries on art, so no. So you and I, when we were, we were just kind of like spitballing ideas about things to talk about. When we started talking about horror films, you mentioned that you're a pretty, you're pretty interested in Ari Aster right now. Now the a24, uh, darling, I guess we could say I mean he's kind of one of them, one of their pookies?

Lyle Wiley:

yes, and I mean a24 is on this like crazy, like they're doing really well right now yeah, they've really been catapulted into, uh, the zeitgeist or whatever you want to say, like it's very, very much. So people that are into films are really interested in what's happening at a24 they're doing a good job and and there's definitely like this weird. I mean, have you watched quite a few 824 movies?

Alexis Worthen:

I think I hope so. I don't know well, not like I hope so, but I think I've done my homework.

Lyle Wiley:

Maybe they've definitely like got a brand, kind of like it's uh yeah I mean there are 824 movies that don't feel quite.

Lyle Wiley:

I mean there's like a feel to an a24 movie that is is pretty universal with the a24 movies. But yeah, there's, you know, there's like some outliers, but there's there's a very specific, weird, uh just sort of slightly off, really thought-provoking, semi-pretentious sort of sort of a24ness to like all their movies, right. Yeah, so, and they, but they've been doing really interesting stuff, in horror specifically, I think, and you know aster is a big part of that. So you've seen, I'm sure, hereditary midsummer. Um, have you seen bow is afraid I have a secret.

Alexis Worthen:

I haven't seen that one because I find joaquin phoenix really insufferable, so I don't want to watch a movie if you find joaquin phoenix insufferable, then you probably don't want to watch the six hours.

Lyle Wiley:

Of beau is afraid, but that's what I that was my thing.

Alexis Worthen:

I was like I really just don't want to because I love tony collette and I love, love, love fl Pugh. So but like I just find I don't know Joaquin Phoenix and like Bradley Cooper, like that little specific sector of male actors I really can't stomach very well. So I wasn't, I wasn't gonna go there, but I do really love Hereditary and I love Midsommar.

Lyle Wiley:

So when you think about those two films and you can like, you can discuss each separately if you'd like. But what about these films do you find really interesting?

Alexis Worthen:

I think again, it's exploring a human problem in a very escalated situation. I think Hereditary is about family relationships and specifically I think the mother through daughter line. That one is super prevalent in that movie. And then Midsommar is dysfunctional relationships with your partner, boyfriend and girlfriend, that one is. I mean, someone described midsummer as like a breakup movie, described just like disguised as a cult movie, which I wouldn't go that far.

Alexis Worthen:

But, um, I definitely think it's very true, I like, but the overall all thorough line that I find find through Ari Aster's movies is, um, like mental health issues, I think, which is like through the vessel of a horror movie, which I really enjoy. Um, I think he does a really good job of portraying um intimate and different types of grief, which I think is super cool. The scene where Florence Pugh was surrounded by all these women through and like the Swedish cult or whatever, and they're all like grieving and feeling emotion together, was really quite powerful. So but it's that human emotion through the like the eyes of a horror or a difficult movie problem that I really appreciate. And he doesn't sacrifice cinematography for anything.

Lyle Wiley:

Cinematography transitions. Like I, I'm a huge Edgar Wright fan. I don't know if you you're familiar with Edgar Wright's films big big Edgar Wright fan love baby driver and Scott Pilgrim and the Cornetta. I think trilogies with those movies are called um, with Simon Pegg Um, but. But he's a king of transitions. Like Edgar Wright's transitions and movies. Um last night in Soho is another great example like just really lovely, beautiful transitions, never wasted and I feel like aster is very similar.

Alexis Worthen:

He, he, uh does really really interesting stuff in his transitions yeah, it doesn't waste very many at all no, I like in midsummer, particularly the um. Use of like the art in the um, like community to further the storyline and kind of lead you into the next is really really cool.

Lyle Wiley:

I really liked that too yeah, the sort of subverted fairy tale. Um is a very uh, is a very off-putting and interesting um part of midsummer for sure, like it's uh, uh, the, and the artwork is disturbing but beautiful at the same time.

Lyle Wiley:

Which is like kind of the movie. It's like disturbing but it's like kind of lovely to look at. The colors are amazing. Florence Pugh is beautiful Like. There's just like this weird. You're drawn in like the, the sort of like, and that's part of what makes horror really like um. Interesting is the aesthetics, the, the beauty of like. Sometimes the horror is pretty interesting.

Alexis Worthen:

So yeah, absolutely. I think it gives you know production teams a really good chance to shine um in a way that a lot of other movies it can't. I think that the artistry behind it is really something and the SFX is really something crucial, because that's what really drives the storyline of a horror movie is the visuals and how, and the music too. Also, the score is super critical. Which I also really like about oster's movie is that he really the tension, especially in hereditary, like the build up of tension without anything actually traditionally wrong or jump scares happening, is really quite impressive this build to a pretty intense pitch, Like you're you're the first time I I, I think hereditary, hereditary like long legs had a really impressive opening weekend and like hit people pretty hard.

Lyle Wiley:

It balances, like you know, interesting ideas about family trauma and the sort of the passing that down, the hereditary aspects of of trauma, but it also is just really scary like it's like a really scary movie that has some visceral, um, intense, violent moments, that, uh, that really kind of. Yeah, they sort of catch you by surprise in a in a really brutal way and the ending is it's really scary, like it's a really oh yeah, no.

Lyle Wiley:

When all the people pop up creepy, build like that chill, like goes down your back for sure yeah, and I think that's part of what makes, uh, some of these a24 movies really effective, is they're they're great to look at, but they're. They're also to look at, but they're they're also and they're interesting and they're weird and they're slightly off, like they're slightly different, um the way that they feel, but then they're just like scary.

Lyle Wiley:

They're straight up well done um horror films. So yeah, you get the whole package in a lot of ways yeah, I think I watched um.

Alexis Worthen:

I don't know if you saw this. Love lies bleeding back in what was it? April. That one was really that had kristen, stewart, um and uh katio something, and that one was really good. It was about um like this cup. They're bodybuilders in the 80s but they're using like illegal drugs to bulk up. And then there's also like the background of like this, like drug trafficking, like crime scene going back, and there's some really good elements of body horror there that I really enjoyed as well.

Lyle Wiley:

Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing it. It's 24. Yeah, it's going to be. It's going to be on max soon, so it's like I've kind of been waiting for the release but yeah, I actually really think kristen stewart's underrated, so I'm excited to check it out. She's really good. So, aside from master, are there any other like uh directors or films that you're just really enamored with in the horror genre that you want to talk about?

Alexis Worthen:

I like to my friends and I like to do like little, like viewings during halloween. Um, of some of, like you know, the the more oldie classics, I think last year, this past year, we watched. What did we watch? Oh, we watched knock at the cabin door, which is like jonathan groff and like david best vatusta, I think, is how you pronounce it. And then rupert grant, which was great because I hadn't. Then rupert grant, which was great because I hadn't seen rupert grant act in a while, which I really liked. But other than that it was. The problem was they explained the entire like plot of the movie within 30 minutes and had to still go on with like an hour long movie and it was a little disappointing. But I know this year is unfortunately black in horror. But I am really excited about Nick Cage coming back because he did an A24 movie not that long ago where he was in everybody's dreams, and then now he's doing Long Legs, which I haven't even seen a picture of him in Long Legs, which I'm excited about. Apparently it's that good.

Lyle Wiley:

There's lots of prosthetics and I guess he's nearly unrecognizable. So we'll see that's good I'm excited to check it out. Did you enjoy dream scenario?

Alexis Worthen:

yeah, I thought it was good. I really am impressed with what nick cage is picking these days. I think, um, nick cage is a very unique performer and I'm I there's. I don't think there's anybody there could there's like anyone else who could have done that role like that was. It was just him who could play it and have that self-awareness to play it, which is also really good.

Lyle Wiley:

I think cage. Of course I'm a huge cage stan. You know I wrote my capstone for my masters about nicholas cage and his role as a fire uh.

Alexis Worthen:

But yeah, I think he's, he's a, he's kind of turned into like a scream queen a little bit right, like he's sort of uh, well, a lot of opposite, like effect, um, I think, where his career, where he started off as like a you know classic hollywood star and then now he's like, switched to horror, which is usually like actors do the opposite, which I think is really cool yeah, he's really interested in like, I think, doing well, basically probably doing anything outside of expectation, but like he definitely wants to try to explore in indie films.

Lyle Wiley:

Yeah, um, but yeah, mandy color out of space, mom and dad, uh, even renfield, which is like I don't know if you saw renfield.

Alexis Worthen:

Um, I heard it was not, which is like I don't know. If you saw Renfield Um, I heard it was not great, which is unfortunate.

Lyle Wiley:

Yeah, it's not great, but he's great. He's really good at it. So if you want to see a good cage performance, I think it's always worthwhile Noted.

Alexis Worthen:

Yeah.

Lyle Wiley:

So, uh, let's, let's like transition into a quick ghostly interlude here. I've been asking people if they believe in ghosts and the paranormal. So what about you? Are you a ghost believer?

Alexis Worthen:

I don't think anything. You know, there's the law of the physics where it's like no matter is created or destroyed. It just, you know, exists all the time and it's just remade, reborn or made it remade and to do things. So I certainly I do. I like to think that there's like energies in the world and I think that you know we aren't like removed from that and removed from you know what came before us? Do I think there's like harry potter, like like full physical spirits walking around? I don't think so, but I think there is something to be said, for what came before us isn't entirely gone, is what is my answer to that?

Lyle Wiley:

So it's a nicely measured answer. I like it Tricky question, but yeah, it seems like there's lots of unexplained phenomena out there. It's like you can't just slam the door on it, right no?

Alexis Worthen:

no I agree.

Lyle Wiley:

So, uh, thank you for letting me pick your brain about horror a little bit. It was really fun for me. I don't know if other people find it interesting we're talking about, but I'm sure having a good time like we should just talk about letterbox. I'm in, I'm in, yeah, we could just go through and just talk about every movie and I'd be super excited. I love talking about films, um, but uh, let's, let's move back to speech and debate.

Lyle Wiley:

Uh, yeah we haven't had a chance to have a talk about speech and debate just the two of us. So I like to ask folks like you know, what's the? What was the best part about speech and debate for you when, when you were involved, what was your, your favorite part?

Alexis Worthen:

I loved the preparation of it. I loved the research and writing your own stuff that came with it. I loved, like the, the confidence that it provided when you did something well and you you did well. That was lovely. I liked the ability to make friends with people from all over the state. Still have really good friends from it, and that wouldn't have been the same. I think overall speech and debate left me feeling very empowered and very capable and ready to be an adult and I don't think I would have felt the same if I didn't have that. Yeah, I think that it's a very unique opportunity and chance to better yourself as both within, like your career and yourself as a person, as a, as a speaker, as a, you know, as a researcher, as a citizen. I guess is what I would say.

Lyle Wiley:

I think this like segues nicely into, like the question I'm kind of leaving everybody with at the clipocalypse, which is, like you know, a lot of people are very afraid to speak publicly. It's like pretty, you know, well-known public fear amongst the most fears, right, like, oh, speaking in front of people, like folks get really scared and so you know why is participating in speech and debate like worth all of the horror, the terror, the fear.

Alexis Worthen:

Um, I would say that it leaves you really passionate about um, the stuff you want to be passionate about um. I wrote my final bill for congress on education and I'm still very passionate about education and providing um more educational opportunities for people in america, and I hope to be like, continue to go into that some in some capacity when I'm an adult. But I think that there's also a level of uniqueness when it comes to speech debate, where there's lots of opportunities to do anything and everything. I also think that you don't get very far if you are in speech debate if you don't have a certain level of grace and empathy for others and for the most part at least, in our community.

Alexis Worthen:

I think that we, you know everyone is led by desire to, you know, for people to succeed, no matter what I think that we might be. So I don't think that there's any inherent, you know, judgment or anything like that. So the only you know the worst thing is, you know internally what might happen internally, but it's never as bad as you know, like the nightmares that your head, you know, comes up with at night. So I think that ultimately, all speech and debate does if you, you know, put this effort into it is prepares you to be better at it than you were, and it's a fairly safe community. You don't get better at public speaking, but also all different types of public speaking.

Lyle Wiley:

Yes, I think that that's some good answers there. I'm glad that speech and debate provided some good stuff for you and I'm excited that you're getting to use a lot of your skills in Model UN right now. That's really fun.

Alexis Worthen:

I definitely would not be doing Model UN if it wasn't for speech debate 100%, I'd be in the dust.

Lyle Wiley:

Well, have you any interest in getting involved in speech and debate in the future? Just out of curiosity, like are you going to If?

Alexis Worthen:

there's like a coaching opportunity that's ever like provided, I'd love that. If there's a judging opportunity ever, I would love that as well.

Lyle Wiley:

And you're studying like political science and public policy.

Alexis Worthen:

I'm in an accelerated program. So I'm doing my bachelor's for political science with a minor in econ in three years, and then I get my master's in public policy in one.

Lyle Wiley:

Okay, any chance that you'll end up in education or you think you want to go into public policy?

Alexis Worthen:

Hopefully I'll go into public policy, but I'm also anywhere that gives me a job. That sounds great. Thank you so much. Anywhere that's employing me, that'd be so awesome. Fair enough.

Lyle Wiley:

Yeah, I get that. Thank you again for hopping on here and helping us navigate the clapocalypse. Nice time chatting with you about all the things and, yeah, I'll probably try to have you back, if that's okay.

Lyle Wiley:

I love having you involved. Thanks so much to Alexis for stopping by and yapping with me. It was super fun and I'm excited to have her back on the show in the future. What's going on in the Clapocalypse tomorrow? Well, nothing Quiet my friends. I'm taking another day of rest, maybe two, but I'll be back shortly. Remember to check the social media challenges on our socials and, yeah, we'll see you in a couple of days. Campers, I'm sleepy. Did you know that zombies always go to bed early? Yeah, I mean, they're always dead tired For Camp One Clap. This is Camp Director Wiley signing off.