One Clap Speech and Debate

Camp One Clap 2, Episode 17: Chronicles from the Crypt, Part 2 with Bailey Patterson and Marcus Viney

• Lyle Wiley / Marcus Viney / Bailey Patterson • Season 6 • Episode 17

Share episode

Send us a text

6:17 - Camp One Clap 2024: Day 17

For notes and details about the episode, check out the website here:


Bailey Patterson and Marcus Viney are back with part 2 of "Chronicles from the Crypt!" Our crypt-keepers promise to elevate your speaking skills by dissecting two unforgettable national final round performances. Discover how Tess Segal's 2022 informative speech on water access transforms a basic topic into an enthralling narrative, and why Taylor Headrick's 2019 humorous piece on Halloween continues to leave audiences in stitches with her daring creativity and unique characterizations. Get ready for a spine-chilling, maniacal-laughter-filled episode that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

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. 

You could also contact me on social media:
Facebook: @oneclappodcast
Instagram: @one_clap_podcast
TikTok: @oneclapspeechanddebate
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCyvpV56859lLA-X-EvHVYUg 

Your voice matters!

Get your cool One Clap Speech and Debate merchandise here (now featuring hats!): https://www.bonfire.com/store/one-clap-speech-and-debate/

Lyle Wiley:

hey campers, it is the 17th day of the clapocalypse. Hopefully you're ready for some spooky content today because bailey patterson and marcus viney have returned with part two of their terrifyingly brilliant series chronicles from the Crypt. I'm your camp director and host of the One Clap Speech and Debate podcast, lyle Wiley. Today's ep might just give you nightmares, but hopefully camp is giving you some excitement for the new speech and debate season just around the corner. Quick reminder check the One Clap socials. For today's social media challenge, I just got even more camp stickers and magnets, so be sure to engage and I'll reach out to get you some camp swag at the end of the clapocalypse. With us today are camp alumni and good friends of the podcast, marcus Viney and Bailey Patterson.

Lyle Wiley:

Marcus Viney is head coach of the Speech and Debate program at Cheyenne East High School, where he's been coaching for 10 years. He has master's degrees in philosophy and English from Colorado State University. He currently serves as the district chair of the Hole in the Wall District for the National Speech and Debate Association. Marcus has celebrated multiple state and national championships with the East High team and was inducted into the Wyoming Speech and Debate Coach Hall of Fame in 2021. However, he is best known for his local celebrity pug Hall of Fame in 2021. However, he is best known for his local celebrity pug Junebug.

Lyle Wiley:

Bailey Patterson is a communication and creative arts instructor at Laramie County Community College. She earned her master's of communication from the University of Wyoming in 2021 and recently graduated with her master of fine arts, theater, performance and pedagogy degree from Texas Tech University. Last December, she was awarded the National Irene Ryan Acting Award from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and named the 2022 Jane Alexander Emerging Artist from the College of Fellows of the American Theater. She is a former Wyoming State Champion in drama duo and poetry and a national semifinalist in dramatic interpretation. She enjoys staying active in the speech and debate community by volunteer judging and coaching. It's time for the thrilling conclusion of Chronicles of the Crypt with Marcus and Bailey.

Marcus Viney:

For our episode, we're going to throw a summer ween party at our house. It's going to be the greatest thing ever.

Bailey Patterson:

Someone will die. A fun end of murder.

Marcus Viney:

There's going to be root beer pumpkins, bloody goblins fake ones. It's going to be root beer pumpkins, bloody goblins With fake ones. It's going to be awesome. We have decorations, dead people that we just murdered Not murdered, but pictures of dead people from TV or movies. Mutilated bodies, but fake ones, candy dancing, all kinds of food and snacks. Blood orphans no, blood orphans. I don't know what that is.

Bailey Patterson:

Welcome to the One Clap Speech and Debate Podcast. Clapocalypse. This is Chronicles from the Crypt. We're your hosts. Bailey Patterson.

Marcus Viney:

And Marcus Viney.

Bailey Patterson:

And we couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a Parks and Recreation reference for our new series.

Marcus Viney:

You might remember us from our series Troop Leader Talks last summer and we're back trading in our flashlights for lanterns with a very special Summerween series.

Bailey Patterson:

Today we are going to unearth spooky national speech and debate final round performances from the past and analyze what makes these speeches not only amazing for their time but artifacts worthy of study today.

Marcus Viney:

As we all know, the best way to improve as a speaker is to speak, but the second best way is to watch other people speak. So we've dug into the NSDA final round crypt and handpicked four spine-tingling summerween-themed speeches to watch, review and reveal what made these speeches so spooktacular.

Bailey Patterson:

Join us as we dissect legendary performances in oratory duo, informative and humor, revealing secrets from each event that can help elevate your own speech.

Marcus Viney:

While we're reviewing speeches from the final stage, watching anyone and everyone you can will help you become a better speaker. In other words, just because it doesn't make the final round doesn't mean it's not worth watching, analyzing and learning from.

Bailey Patterson:

The best speech and debate. Competitors and coaches recognize the importance of learning from other speakers in the community. So, whether you're a fresh-faced novice or just earned your fourth coaching diamond, light your candles and gather round as we unlock wisdom from the crypt.

Marcus Viney:

This is Chronicles from the Crypt, and today we are resurrecting the 2022 informative speech Blood in the Water by Tess Siegel and the 2019 humor Killer Halloween performed by Taylor Hedrick. Let's begin with informative.

Bailey Patterson:

In this speech, tess explores the critical role of water in our world, addressing how its availability or lack thereof can fuel conflict. She begins by debunking common myths about global water supply and then delves into the commercialization of this basic resource, highlighting how corporations often prioritize profit over access From sinkholes to water wars. This speech covers impressive, albeit terrifying, ground. However, the speech concludes on a more hopeful note, showcasing positive trends and efforts to restore balance and ensure universal access to water.

Marcus Viney:

Now, besides the chilling title, blood in the Water the first element of this speech worth contemplating is topic selection water. The first element of this speech worth contemplating is topic selection. Last episode, we discussed how, in oratory, originality often comes from putting a unique or personal spin on familiar ideas, rather than seeking out the most obscure topic. This speech is a perfect example of that principle. While the topic of water might seem unexciting or overdone, the speaker shows how it can be transformed into a potent performance.

Marcus Viney:

I would be willing to bet that the majority of competitors gearing up to compete in informative this season would pass on the basic topic of water and others like it. However, instead of treating water as a dull subject, she takes us down interesting paths we might not have otherwise considered. A good example is her first paragraph, where she tackles the misconception that water is an infinitely replenishable resource. Rather than repeating basic water cycle science, she personalizes the issue by framing the ideas in a story about how she learned misinformation from her high school teacher, all the while using her voice and humor to make the information engaging and memorable. This approach illustrates that even obvious topics can be revitalized with creativity and personal insight, proving that it's not the topic, but how you present it that truly matters. To prove the point further, my second bet is that the topic of water isn't done yet. My guess is that there will be others that emerge as new events unfold in the world and new information is discovered.

Bailey Patterson:

The next standout element to analyze is her use of visual aids. The key virtue here is variety. You'll notice she employs a strong mix of self-created art, like what appears to be oil pastels, along with handheld objects like water jugs and water bottles and typical to nationals, high quality printouts. But the lesson here isn't about spending a lot of money to impress. It's about understanding the true purpose of visual aids. Their role, as their name implies, is to aid and support your speech, not to overshadow it. This is why she can use some less polished images without distracting or detracting from her message.

Bailey Patterson:

Two standout examples of her visual aids include first, a five-gallon jug of water representing the Earth's total water supply, contrasted with a tiny amount to symbolize usable water. This striking visual metaphor uses familiar everyday objects to illustrate an otherwise difficult-to-im imagine reality. Second, she employs another visual metaphor with her Hungry, hungry Hippos board to depict the chaotic and competitive nature of corporations vying for control over water resources. Most people are familiar with the board game and immediately grasp her point. The bottom line is that good visual aids are less about the cost and more about being thoughtful and effective with what you do have.

Marcus Viney:

The last element to highlight is her use of humanity. A common pitfall in informative speeches is taking informative too literally, resulting in a presentation packed with facts and data that feels more like a textbook than an engaging speech. Tess avoids this trap by making the information relevant to real people. While her speech is about water, she skillfully connects it to broader issues of human access to water. By the end, we realize that her speech is not just about water, but about how the fight for access to this resource impacts real lives across the globe. She uses her final body paragraph to reveal how corporate practices and the push for the privatization adversely affect people worldwide, supported by a striking example.

Marcus Viney:

In one Mexican city, coca-cola flows more freely than water, leading people to drink more Coke than water. Good informative speeches go beyond mere facts. They illustrate why a topic matters. Tess achieves this by showing us the human side of the issue, effectively persuading us to care about what we're learning about. Without crossing into overt persuasion, she demonstrates that an informative speech can be both educational and impactful, but it's time to move on to another performance from the crypt.

Bailey Patterson:

Something killer.

Marcus Viney:

Yep, that's right. The 2019 humor Killer Halloween performed by Taylor Hedrick.

Bailey Patterson:

If you haven't watched this humor, you should and while you're at it, watch the entire final round from this year. It is jam-packed with talent and at least two other creepy-themed summerween humors Spooky Dog and the Teenage Gang Mysteries. And the national champion of 2019, kicking and Screaming.

Marcus Viney:

But because it's summerween clapocalypse, we have to go with Killer Halloween, a script inspired by classic slasher films like Friday the 13th and Scream, but with a humorous twist. The story kicks off with the murder of a local TV reporter, triggering a series of events that leads the killer to our main character's house where she's babysitting her grandfather, gramps, after one of her close friends is killed. She must confront the Halloween killer in a climactic showdown. Will she survive? You'll need to watch to find out.

Bailey Patterson:

The first notable element here is characterization, which involves using voice, body and face to create clear and distinct characters within a performance. In the early moments of her performance, there is so much to learn. A common issue for humor interpretations is the blurring of characters or voices, which can lead to a confusing story for the judge and, in the worst case, make it really difficult, if not impossible, to follow. However, taylor excels in characterization, passing what we might call the radio mute test. When watching the teaser, she introduces two characters that are both hilarious and easily distinguishable. Her skill is so advanced that if you only heard the speech over the radio meaning you could only hear her voice you could still identify which character is speaking and follow the storyline. On the flip side, if you mute the video and watch the speech, you can immediately recognize which character she is embodying without ever hearing them. Taylor's use of posture, hand gesture and surprisingly expressive eye and mouth movements truly shines in the world of humorous interpretation. Mastery of characterization is critical in this event, and Taylor demonstrates this with remarkable work.

Marcus Viney:

The second noteworthy element is her use of reactions, specifically facial expressions. Another common problem in humor is the belief that funny or even inappropriate lines are necessary to make an audience laugh. But often the humor comes not from what characters say, but from how characters react to what is said. One powerful example is near the end, when the Halloween killer makes a threatening call to the ditzy character Sue for the second time. As she picks up the phone, the killer asks Hello, sue, remember me? And she quickly replies Uh-huh. Taylor immediately pops back into the killer and reacts with a full defeated sigh which conveys multiple emotions and meanings Disappointment that the killer isn't actually threatening and annoyance that sues lack of intelligence. This single simple moment garners laughs from the audience without any spoken lines. Taylor's performance highlights a key insight into humor and interpretation events more generally. The magic isn't in the script but in you, the performer. You don't always need laugh-out-loud lines to make people laugh. It's the reactions and how characters deal with what others say that truly brings out the humor.

Bailey Patterson:

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn't highlight one of the most standout moments of her entire performance the introduction. If you haven't seen it, watching Taylor rap the entire introduction and get the audience to clap along is a must for full effect. We're not suggesting that you should wrap all of your introductions or copy her ideas, but the lesson here is that she was not afraid to make bold choices. In humor, the expectations are high and judges are looking to be entertained. It's not just about the decision itself, but the spirit of the decision that matters. As a humor competitor, embracing bold choices without fear of embarrassment is crucial. Just like Amy Poehler says, there is power in looking silly and not caring that you do.

Bailey Patterson:

Taylor owns the room and creates excitement about her performance, sending a clear message you are going to absolutely love this. Watch me. Put simply in humor, boldness is rewarded. Other brave choices she makes include the psycho-like knife, sound effects for when a character is murdered and her seemingly impossible transition of this is Halloween from the Nightmare Before Christmas, but she does it without even opening her mouth. Without a doubt, this goes down as one of the most fun and killer humors from the crypt. Well, I think that does it, Yep, as we wrap up this episode of Chronicles from the Crypt, we hope you've found fresh inspiration in these spooktacular performances.

Marcus Viney:

From the powerful exposure of the corporate takeover of essential resources and blood in the water to the incredible expressive approach to humor in Killer Halloween, it's clear that mastery in speech and debate derives from more than what sits on the page.

Bailey Patterson:

Remember, the key to a powerful performance lies in how you present your story, as much as in the story itself. Thank you for joining us for the Chronicles from the Crypt series. We hope to see you this season. Enjoy the rest of surviving the clapocalypse and we will be back next summer.

Marcus Viney:

Now it's your turn.

Bailey Patterson:

Yeah thanks.

Lyle Wiley:

Thank you so much to our creepy crypt keepers, marcus and Bailey. That was a spooky good time. What's going on in the clapocalypse tomorrow? Well, jaden Roccaforte's second episode is up and it's a doozy. You're going to love it. So make sure you tune in. Remember to check the social media challenges on our socials and we'll see you tomorrow. Campers, oh, here's something our crypt keepers will appreciate. Did you hear about the guy who was buried alive last week? Yeah, it was a grave situation indeed For Camp One Clap. This is Camp Director Wiley signing off.