Sapadin's success isn't debatable
Written by Cale Coryell, Former Student on Tuesday, January 22, 2013
They say that in America, people fear public speaking above all else; even death. Standing in front of a group of people and speaking his mind is no problem at all for Alex Sapadin. After all, he is the extemporaneous speaking captain at SHS, and has been working with the Snohomish speech and debate team since the eighth grade.
“I understand the fear of standing up and speaking in front of a large group of people, I get it. You know what’s harder? Yo-yoing”, said Alex on the subject. Alex knows a lot about yo-yoing too, and that’s because he participated in professional yo-yo competitions between the ages of twelve and fifteen.
When asked about why he started competing in speech and debate competitions however, Alex responded “I was at school, and I missed my bus home. I heard over the intercom that a debate meeting was going on, so I went”, but Alex’s skill in his events is no accident.
“I put in tons of hours, and I really just have a goal that I aspire to achieve”, Alex commented regarding why he went to octo-finals at nationals last year in extemporaneous speaking.
According to Alex, his goal in speech and debate has evolved over the years, and today he just wants to take something away from extemporaneous speaking that he can apply to the real world.
“I’m going to double major in bio and economics, work in an environmental law firm, and eventually run for the presidency” explained Alex, and if he puts in as much effort as he does into his speech and debate events into his career goals, it’s possible he could run the country.
“I do impromptu speeches in my head at least seven times a day, and I read articles all over the web every day to stay current for extemp”. Alex doesn’t believe that it takes a particular kind of person to excel in speech and debate however.
He said on the subject, “I think anybody can do it. I thoroughly believe that with the drive to reach their goals and the work ethic to put in the time, anybody can do what I do”.
