Let's Talk About NFA at Bradley....

 This very week the National Forensics Association will be hosting their annual tournament here at Bradley University. While hosting the tournament is a huge honor, it is also quite stressful. All week BUST members are trying to find the balance between preparing for nationals, while also going to class and work like normal. Being on campus to compete at a tournaments is something I've only done once - my freshman year Norton. 

We Are Hosting???

When my fellow senior, David, and I found out that Bradley would be the host site for this year's NFA, we were not happy, to say the least. Since we lost over 2 years of traveling with the team to Covid, we were desperate for every travel opportunity possible. So at first, learning we'd be hosting was a letdown. However, after the past several weeks of non-stop traveling, I can confidently say we are quite pleased to not have to get on another plane. Missing so many classes is really challenging, especially at this point in the semester, so we are thrilled to be minimizing the number of classes we won't be able to attend.  

Prep Day

Prepping for NFA is a much smaller scale event than AFA prep because we already have one nationals under our belts. While judges at AFA do write us ballots with comments about what they liked/ didn't like, we don't make very many big changes between AFA and NFA. While we appreciate judge feedback, and try to implement minor changes if possible, because the turnaround between the two tournaments is so close, we try to prioritize polishing what we currently have. As someone who has made giant changes on a piece between AFA and NFA, I can say it never goes well. Because nationals is so stressful, having a speech full of new changes makes it extra difficult to have memorized and polished. 

My Hopes

Walking into my last speech tournament ever (I can't believe that), I am hoping that I just have fun. Don't get me wrong, I'm probably the most competitive person this side of the Mississippi. However, I've spent the last decade of my life pouring myself into this activity, so I am hoping NFA provides me with the opportunity to let stressors fall to the wayside and the joy of performance take over! I have stuck with this activity for so long because I truly love everything about it - from the suits to the speeches - forensics has shaped me into so much of who I am today. I am not ready to let being a competitor go, but I am so thankful for the time that I've had. I've gotten many more years of this wild activity than most, so I am going to walk into this weekend with my head held high, ready for whatever happens. I'm ready for the joy, the sorrow, the tears, and everything in between. 

Below is a picture of freshman Kaity at her first college tournament. This picture reminds me of all the amazing memories I've made, the amazing people I've met, and the overall amazingness of speech. 

Talk soon!