Ashley Tolsma is a Sophomore Oral Interp. participant at Avon High School. Ashely has competed in many competitions so far this year since the beginning of October. In the Harrisburg competition, she won superior plus and 2nd overall, then in Brandon Valley, she won 3rd overall. Most recently, she and her teammatescompetedatDSUin Madison and Ashley received 3rd overall.

Toplace,Ashleystates,“You have to practice a lot and be comfortable talking to and speaking in front of a lot of people.” One of the categories she competes in is the humorous genre and the title of her piece is “States the Obvious Girl'' by James Sweery. Humorous is her favorite genre because it's very dramatic and it makes people laugh. There is another competition coming up in Yankton on October 29. Ashley says that her favorite thing about Oral Interp. is that itmakesherbetteratspeaking, and her least favorite thing is waking up early on a Saturday morning. When asked if she would recommend Oral Interp., she says, “ It is a great way to expose yourself in life; you won't always have sports, but you will always be able to speak. “Even though I like oral interp. now, I also realize it’s teaching me life lessons and I'malwaysmeetingnewpeople and making friends.” Ashely recommendsgoingoutforOral Interp. because many people think it's odd, but Ashely said that “She is cool, so oral interp. must be too!” Other activities she is involved in are drama, band, volleyball, archery, track, choir, and HOSA.