The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

Asher Whiting isn't sure if public speaking will be in his future.

The seventh-grade student said he chose to participate in extemporaneous speaking during the conference.

"I was told it was hard," he said.

According to the rules, Whiting had a five-munte prep time to develop and organize the speech.

After being given a topic, Whiting used three-inch by five-inch notecards to outline his thoughts.

He said during the competition, he didn't realize there was anything he would need to fix if he had a second opportunity to present.

"Except I needed a few more minutes to prepare," he said, chuck...