Practicing a Ton Right Before Nationals

Ok, people. NITOC is only a few days away. How many times have you practiced in the last two weeks? How many impromptus have you done? How many times have you read the 1AC out loud? If you're anything like me, you've probably done your speeches more times in the last few days than you had throughout the entire season. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but it certainly feels that way.

But then, why wouldn't you? It won't do you any good practicing a week from now. By then, it'll be too late. That is, unless you're in finals and you want to run through something one more time, but just assume that the competition will be over by then for you. That was supposed to be motivational, not pessimistic. Never mind. Anyway, just think. In a matter of days, you will say goodbye to your interp characters maybe forever (unless someone makes you do your speech in the summer, which happens). You'll never give your platform speech again (unless your mom wants you to give it for family or in front of some other audience). You'll never have to give another impromptu, extemp, or apologetics speech either (unless you're coming back next year or perhaps demonstrating at a summer camp). And unless you plan on running your Policy case as a non-Topical-and-probably-Perm-able counter-plan or something next year, you'll probably never deal with that thing again. And I don't think there's any reason you'd read LD cases after Nationals. Just say goodbye to those too.

So once you've come to these bittersweet realizations, then what? This is where the practicing comes in. Now, near the end of the season, a lot of people tend to get tired of their pieces. Which makes sense, especially if you've had them since September or even earlier. The HI is less funny, the DI is less sad, the OI is less... sad or funny or something. You're less passionate about your platform and- wait a minute, you say to yourself. Nationals begins in a matter of days! I can't be bored and complacent! I don't have time for that sort of behavior! I have practicing to do!

And it's true. So you practice and practice and practice. And once you start, it feels wrong to stop. You find yourself reciting speeches in the shower, practicing characters' voices in the car, and dreaming of the perfect solvency advocate. Or staying up until 4 AM looking for the perfect solvency advocate. After all, you can sleep after NITOC.

You're homeschooled. Let's do this.