(STATE CHAMPIONS! From left: James Johnson, Ben Rorrer, and Jordan English hold their VHSL State Championship Medals with pride.)
For the first time in 10 years, Pulaski County High School fielded a team for the Virginia High School League Forensics competition this year. The result was a small but motivated group of students that not only represented the school system well, but brought home State Championships in two events.
The team, led by Coach Brianna Smith, earned the right to compete at the State event by finishing second at the sub-regional and first regional events earlier in the year.
Out of 13 teams competing in the same classification as Pulaski County, the Cougars earned fourth place overall, despite only competing in two of 10 possible categories.
Pulaski County students were competing in two categories, Humorous Duo and Storytelling. In each of these events, students have 10 minutes to tell a story (a cutting/excerpt from a published piece that they have memorized) to the audience using only their voices and body movements. There are no props and they are allowed only a limited amount of space. They are encouraged to portray multiple characters, and they are judged based on criteria including eye and body movement, vocalization, volume, characterization, choice of selection, organization, pacing, and memorization.
In each VHSL meet, there is a maximum of six competitors per category, and the top three winners move on to the next level heading into the State competition.
James Johnson and Ben Rorrer competed in the Humorous Duo Interpretation event. In this category, students work with their partner (whom they cannot touch or make eye contact with) to tell the story to the audience. James and Ben's piece was a cutting from a short play entitled "Everyone's Gonna Die!" by Clyde Hendrickson.
The duo placed second to one of Salem's teams at the regional meet at Salem February 11. February 25, they earned first place in a very close competition at the Super Regional meet at E.C. Glass. Saturday, they brought home a first-place victory over five other teams from Salem, King George, Chancellor, and Great Bridge.
Jordan English competed in the Storytelling event, performing a cutting from The Fortune-Tellers, by Lloyd Alexander. In this category, the speaker must interpret/perform their chosen story as though for an audience of children.
Jordan finished the season undefeated, winning first place in Storytelling in all three of the VHSL season meets.
Johnson, Rorrer, and English are the first PCHS students to earn State Championships for Pulaski County in this competition. When asked about their experiences, each had comments about it all.
“The extensive amount of rehearsal and planning it took to portray the story with no props or costumes was one of the most challenging parts of it all,” Johnson said. “You have to create believable characters and illustrations to the story.”
“I think learning how to work and react with my duo partner without looking or making eye contact with him was the toughest part for me,” Rorrer said. “Acting without reacting is completely different than anything I’ve ever done.”
English also had some tough spots. “Adapting form theater to Forensics is a weird change,” he said. “The way you hold yourself and how aware you have to become of your movement is insane. I had a tough transition, especially because I have to depend on my own characterization and character, unable to play off someone else’s energy.”
While the competition was tough, there were also enjoyable moments for all of them.
“Meeting other people who were equally dedicated and interested in what we were doing was great,” Rorrer said. “The passion and heart at every competition was incredible.”
“I enjoyed the companionship I made not only with my duo partner, but with the whole team,” Johnson said. “The memories we made with these people on our journey are some of my favorite ones.”
“My favorite part was when I was able to grow the story and adapt small actions that added to the piece, unlocking deeper meaning to the story,” English said. “I was able to play each character how I thought best fit.”
The competition also gave each person a chance to grow and further develop their skills as the season went on.
“I have been made more aware of how I use my facial expression to emphasize what I say,” English said. “The way I deliver my story has changed as I learned the importance of absence in dialog by using blank pauses or sound effects. Sound effects are a particular skill that is mainly used In storytelling to portray the environment, something I became very aware of as I developed my piece.”
“My skills as an actor have improved and teamwork definitely,” Rorrer said. “Also, time management has played a huge part.”
“My ability to work well as a teammate and push and pull the energy of the performance
has tremendously increased,” Johnson added. “This was a life-changing experience that I will never forget.”
With the competition now complete and the awards in hand, how does it feel to be the first State Champions in this event for Pulaski County?
“Honestly it feels unreal,” Rorrer said. “I cannot compare it to anything else I’ve ever felt. I can’t put to words how glad I am to have had this opportunity. I don’t think anything can top it.”
“It’s crazy, one of the most exciting moments in my life,” Johnson added. “I can’t believe that all that hard work actually paid off. It felt amazing.”
“It was most definitely not just a walk in the park” English said. “I spent hours practicing and improving with each run-through, working on my articulation and precision. The pieces I went up against were very well thought-out, and it was not an easy arrangement of competitors.”
While winning was big for the competitors, it was also a big experience for their coach, who was also a member of her Forensics team in high school.
“It was a bit intimidating at first, reviving a program that has been dormant for so long, but I have received an incredible amount of support from Jeff McCoy, Scott Vest, and our administration, as well as parents and faculty here at PCHS,” Coach Smith said. “Although we'll be graduating all but one of our members this year, we are looking forward to building and developing our team for future seasons.”
“I have been amazed by the amount of talent, dedication, and compassion shown by the whole team this year, even those who didn't advance past regional competition,” Smith continued. “These students came to me in December with plates already full, juggling school work, One Act, an upcoming musical, choir, and jobs, and asked me to help them to take on ANOTHER challenge … Forensics. They found and cut their own pieces, and over the past three months, they have crafted, perfected, re-examined and revised those pieces, pushing themselves and each other as actors, readers, writers, and speakers. They have shown excellence as respectful competitors in all of our tournaments, and they have taught me so much as a first-year coach. I am grateful for their maturity and willingness to share their passion for acting and literature.”