STORYTELLER

MANATEE COUNTY — At first, 10-year-old Alex Kumar was disappointed he would have to miss his championship baseball game.

But it seems the fourth-grader at Willis Elementary School hit a home run anyway.

His speech, “A Whole Different World,” earned him a different championship title on May 14, when Kumar took home first place in the 4-H/Tropicana Public Speaking Contest.

“It was amazing,” Alex said of the experience. “I’m really glad I got to do it. (I loved) the feeling of talking in front of a whole lot of people and presenting a story you love.”

Much to his own amazement, Alex beat out more than 30 other contestants — all first- and second-place finishers from their respective schools — for the prize.

Alex had planned to speak about Greek gods until his teacher, Emily Ross, said he had to write a non-fiction speech — one about a personal experience. The Country Club of Lakewood Ranch resident didn’t have much trouble finding alternate subject matter. Instead, Alex centered his speech on a two-month visit he and his family took to China about two years ago.

“I love China, and the culture is so cool,” Alex said, noting he used some of his favorite pictures from the trip to select his talking points. “I really wanted to write about it.

“Everything’s different there — the foods, the sights,” he said. “(There are things) you just can’t see here.”
Alex said his teacher played a key role in his success. She has been teaching him and his classmates to use better, more descriptive words, dubbed “sparkle words,” throughout the school year.

In fact, at the beginning of the year, his class held a funeral — complete with black garb and wailing — for “dead words,” such as “nice,” “good” and “bad.”

“It was sad,” Alex said. “I liked those words. But they weren’t as descriptive as she wanted them to be.”

Ross also helped Alex find “wonderful words” for his speech, and his 12-year-old sister, Madelyn, who recently won a state-level Technology Student Association speech contest, helped him practice timing and other aspect of public speaking, Alex said.

“I think the content and the way you perform it is important,” Alex said, smiling. “You have to get into it.”

When Alex isn’t writing award-winning speeches, he likes to “build contraptions,” particularly those using water or solar power. He also enjoys playing video games, tennis and baseball and reading, especially the “Harry Potter” book series.

“I love to read because it sucks you in and makes you feel like you are there,” Alex said.

Alex said he hasn’t decided what he wants to be when he grows up, and isn’t sure that public speaking will fit into his future career, but it may be a possibility.

“Maybe I can do speeches about my inventions,” he said, laughing.

HIS OWN WORDS
Below is an excerpt from Alex Kumar’s speech, “A Whole Different World.”

Have you ever been to a place that seems like a whole different world? Well, my trip to China was exactly that. When I was 8, my family and I spent two months in China. It was the best adventure I ever had. Even though it’s been almost two years, the sights and tastes are as fresh in my mind as if it was only yesterday.

The first of many amazing sights was The Great Wall. At the top, we climbed 15 ancient towers and marveled at the dragon-like wall slithering across China as far as I could see. I wanted to stay there forever, thinking, “What could be better than this?”

Braden River student earns kudos for speech
Braden River Elementary School’s Levi Waxler took home third place in the 4-H/Tropciana Public Speaking Contest with his speech, “The Enema Hotel.”

Levi’s speech was a story about a stomachache that ended with an enema.

“That was a fun day, and I learned so much from all the speeches,” Levi said of the contest.
His mother, Tanya, couldn’t have been more proud.

“It takes a brave kid to get up and tell the whole school about a really embarrassing moment,” she said.

Other winners of the Tropicana contest were Emma Schmeichel, of Rowlett Elementary, (second place); and Nathan Edwards, of Palma Sola Elementary (honorable mention.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].