We had a great contest this year. Starting with the Evaluations Contest and followed up with the Speech Contest.

Our test speaker John was from KeyNote Toastmasters which is an Advance speakers club here in Toronto. The title of his speech was ‘Don’t let you alone’.

John spoke about when he met John Wayne when he was 6 years old. John Wayne made an impression on him as a role model for being self-reliant and independent. However, there is a loneliness epidemic and this image can become toxic if you refuse to turn to others. Loneliness leads to anxiety, memory loss, depression, and higher mortality rates. John Wayne would say: “When the going gets tough, it’s tougher if you’re stupid”. Our speaker would say instead : When the going gets tough, call a friend. 

This was a great speech and tough to evaluate. We had three great competitors: James, Felix and Wes. Stay tuned in because you will find out at the end of this post who won!

Lydia speech was called ‘The Beginning or the End’.

Lydia spoke about what life was like in 1992. There was a recent economic slowdown, and jobs were scarce. When her contract came up for renewal, her boss offered to extend it. She turned it down, to start a new adventure in Toronto. She wants to tell everyone to remember: Trust, because everything happens for a reason, and persevere. 

Amanda’s speech was called ‘Thinking in Circles’.

Amanda talked to us about how a circular economy would reduce waste and greatly improve our life on this planet. We should all make changes to reduce, reuse, recycle, refurbish, and repair.

Andrew’s speech was called ‘One More Step’.

Andrew started his speech by telling us that he reached the top of Kilimanjaro mountain, and felt like he was dying. How did he reach the top, learn to sail, teach himself to paint, run a marathon, and start Toastmasters? One step at a time. However, he has a secret. He stopped for a time when he had reached all of these peaks. How did he find the motivation to keep going after his success? Coming down from Kilimanjaro, he told himself he didn’t want to die next to this rock and kept going. Every time he wanted to stop, he would think I don’t want to die next to this rock either. Andrew suggests that every step you take, give a moment to think about where you want to be, and then—take one more step.

Congratulation to all the contestants who participated in this contest. Thanks you to all the volunteer who also donated their time to keep time, count ballets, judge and setup.

Our winners for the Evaluation Contest are:

1st Place Winner: Felix Reyn

2nd Place Winner: Wes Vick

Our winners for the Speech Contest are:

1st Place Winner: Andrew Varden

2nd Place Winner: Amanda Banks

All the area winners move on to compete in Division February 20, 2019.
Join us for the next level of competition and sushi across the street for socializing afterwards.