Local Champ Prepares to Talk His Way to the Top
When Ryan Knowles makes speeches, he’s showered with prizes.
The 18-year-old La Habra High School senior is the speech champion for the county and the state, and he’s got more than 140 plaques, trophies and loving cups to prove it.
Now Knowles is preparing for upcoming competition in the National Forensic League, which offers the top award to the best high school speech students.
The competition begins June 16 in Minnesota. By June 21, a champion will be declared.
Knowles’ coach and speech teacher, Keston Blake, recalls a conversation with her confident star pupil in 1994, when he told her about his life ambition.
“He was a freshman when he said, ‘This year, I made it to state [competition]. Next year, I’m going to make it to state in two events. In my junior year, I’m going to make it to semifinals and in my senior year, I’m going to be a champion,’ †Blake said. “And he did it all. For nationals, he said he would do the same thing.â€
Knowles will compete in humorous interpretation and Lincoln-Douglas debates.
In the debates, contestants must argue each side in six rounds. Those who win continue in semifinal rounds until two are left in the finals.
For his 10-minute humorous interpretation, Knowles has chosen a script about a supermarket express line. Knowles will play a cashier with an attitude, a customer who makes a fool of himself and his spouse.
During a recent practice session at his La Habra home, Knowles impressed his mother and brother with his acting, which included dramatic facial expressions and body movements that many of his friends say remind them of actor Jim Carrey.
“He is so dedicated and driven to succeed,†mother Judy Knowles said. “He totally knows what he wants, and he makes me laugh all the time. . . . I’m already starting to pick out my dress for the Academy Awards.â€
Her son, who will be a drama student at UCLA in the fall, said he wants to become an actor, preferably in comedies.
“I like to make people laugh more than anything else in the world,†he said. “That’s my gift.â€
