Two-person Pine River-Backus speech team claims victories

032421.PEJ.PRBSpeech.jpg — Tabitha Kibwaa and Randall Yost are Pine River-Backus' speech team this year. Photo Submitted March 2021

By Nancy Vogt

March 31, 2021 at 6:00 AM

Randall Yost and Tabitha Kibwaa are Pine River-Backus School's only speech team members this year, and they have had a successful year so far.

Yost has racked up two first-place, four second-place and two third-place finishes in the storytelling category.

Kibwaa placed in two different categories. She received first- and third-place finishes in extemporaneous speaking and second- and fourth-place finishes in extemporaneous reading.

As a team, Yost and Kibwaa placed first at Battle Lake and second at Fergus Falls based on speaker point averages.

Post season tournaments include sub-sections Saturday, April 10. If students advance to sections, they will compete Saturday, April 17. Those advancing to the state tournament will compete Friday or Saturday, April 23 or 24.

All speech tournaments have been held virtually this year.

By Nancy Vogt

Nancy Vogt is editor of the Pineandlakes Echo Journal, a weekly newspaper that covers eight communities in the Pequot Lakes-Pine River areas - from Nisswa to Hackensack and Pequot Lakes to Crosslake.

She started as editor of the Lake Country Echo in July 2006, and continued in that role when the Lake Country Echo and the Pine River Journal combined in September 2013 to become the Pineandlakes Echo Journal. She worked for the Brainerd Dispatch from 1992-2006 in various roles.

She covers Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Lake Shore and Crosslake city councils, as well as writes feature stories, news stories and personal columns (Vogt's Notes). She also takes photos at community events.

Contact her at nancy.vogt@pineandlakes.com or 218-855-5877 with story ideas or questions. Be sure to leave a voicemail message!

Two-person Pine River-Backus speech team claims victories

Randall Yost and Tabitha Kibwaa have placed individually and as a team.