As the old saying goes, you can’t get to Carnegie Hall without practice.
To the over three thousand forensic competitors swarming the streets of Kansas City this week, the road to the national tournament has been wrought with far more than just practice. For some, the journey has been paved with worn-out high heels and blistered feet, empty water bottles, beaten down storage tubs filled with countless hours of research and a forlorn stack of ties that never get untied – just readjusted for the following weekend. (After all – who has the time and luxury to waste on ties when the van leaves in five minutes?)
Sure, there’s a comfort when competing in one’s home district all year. The competitors, coaches and campuses are fairly familiar and reasonably consistent. After about nine months of tournaments, it feels downright natural.
Then, you have Nationals. That’s when things start to get real. Suddenly, the stakes are higher and competitors are embarking on an entirely new journey.
For some the journey through Nationals is a new and tumultuous one, for the mind as well as the gastrointestinal track. Leading up to the first day of competition, Emily Boysisio of Canyon City, Colo., admitted that she was “Totally nervous. I got sick this morning. But it’s worth it.”
