State speech winner Gemma Shaffer won fourth place in Storytelling at the Class A State Speech Tournament. (Photo by Don Sanda) Senior Gemma Shaffer qualified for the final round of competition and won the fourth place medal in Storytelling in the Class A State Speech Tournament held April 24 at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

Gemma accumulated a meld of seven in the three preliminary rounds and was in a three-way tie for fifth place. She finished the final round tied for third place with a meld of 17, and lost the tie-breaker because the other speaker had a higher score in a preliminary round.

Gemma has been on the Cardinal Speech Team since seventh grade and has won awards consistently. She served as cocaptain of the team during the 2010 season.

Senior Emma Motl in Original Oratory also did very well and finished in ninth place in her category.

In Great Speeches, senior Shelby Wilds finished in a five-way tie for 11th place.

Sophomore Jonathan Nypan in Extemporaneous Reading finished in a three-way tie for 12th place.

Special award At the speech team Sophomore A.J. Smith, competing in a state tournament for the first time, finished tied for 23rd in Prose.

According to Minnesota State High School League records, Staples Motley ranks sixth on the list of the top 10 medalwinning Cass-A schools between 1969 and 2009.

The coaches and team ended the season with an awards program April 25. At the event, teammates voted Gemma Shaffer as the Outstanding Speaker of 2010.

The team awarded Gemma a trophy, and her coaches will have her name engraved on the Outs tanding Speech Student plaque provided by the Staples Host Lions.

Head coach Bob Shaffer and assistant coaches Penny Olsen and Don Sanda presented letters to 18 team members and co-captains Kaytlin Roth and Gemma Shaffer awarded special appreciation certificates to 32 team members.