Written by Marketing & Communications intern Julia Lealos ’24

Brynja Lockman’s excellence in speech has shown through the BSM speech program, and this summer, took to a national stage to compete. Lockman, a rising senior at BSM, recently placed 15th in the country for United States Extemporaneous Speech at the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa put on by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). 

“Achieving 15th place at nationals is beyond an exceptional accomplishment,” said Alex Smith, BSM’s speech coach. “I think this is especially remarkable given it’s Brynja’s first time at nationals.” Over 6,700 students from 1,500 schools across the country participated with Lockman at this year’s NSDA tournament.

Lockman competed in the extemporaneous speech category, requiring her to prepare a seven-minute speech of her choosing from three different topics in just 30 minutes. She then delivered her speech to the judges, competing against some of the most talented high school students in the nation. Each round was more difficult, moving from six preliminary rounds to two octafinal rounds with the top 60 participants. Lockman made it to the quarterfinal round, competing against the top 30 speakers before she was named 15th nationally. “I gave the best speech of my life during my second [Octafinals] round,” Lockman said, noting, “It was on a topic I’m passionate about, and I was very proud of my performance.” 

Lockman’s topic explored term limits in the US government and if/how they should be used. She gave ten unique speeches over the course of the entire national competition. Other topics included arts and entertainment, education, healthcare, environment, energy, social justice, the First Amendment, and each of the three branches of the U.S. government: the executive, the judicial, and the legislative.

Lockman qualified for the NSDA Tournament in May, placing fifth at the Last-Chance NSDA national qualifying tournament. She also placed fifth at the Minnesota State High School League’s (MSHSL) Class AA state speech tournament in extemporaneous speaking earlier in the season, in addition to her many other regular season wins.

Although she was originally intimidated by the large number of students, Lockman enjoyed the opportunity to meet with other speech students from both near and far. “Brynja absolutely rose to the occasion,” Smith noted, adding, “The amount of work she put in preparing for the tournament from researching almost every facet of the US government and politics to refining how she delivers her speeches was incredible. I could not be more proud!”

As Lockman prepares for her senior year at BSM, she is excited to build upon her personal success and the continued success of the Red Knight speech team. “I’m looking forward to the new season and hope to reach the NDSA tournament again next summer.”

We are #BSMproud of Brynja Lockman and her outstanding speech skills. Please join us in congratulating her on such a great accomplishment!