With a deep breath, senior Gracie Saucedo looked at three men across the room. What was going through their minds? What did they see when they looked at her? She was dressed for competition in her black jacket, black pants, and small, civilized pearl necklace. Would they ever believe she was going to take the next six minutes of their lives with her prose piece about farts? She opens her folder and prepares to blow them away…
At the district speech meeting last Wednesday, Saucedo did something she had never done before. She participated in the prose competition where she read two different pieces to judges. She was judged on her ability to interpret the literature.
“At first glance, I didn’t really know what I was doing,” Saucedo said. “I knew how to act and my personality is quite big so I just gave it a shot thanks to Breanna Keelan. As time went by, I started handling the bookwork needed for prose which is how you hold and look at your book. Then I began to truly dive into my pieces.”
From being clueless to then being the best prose speaker at district UIL is a pretty big deal.
“It is truly an honor and a great experience to have had for my first ever UIL prose event,” Saucedo said. “It took a lot of effort but the work paid off.”
To be able to place, the judges are strictly paying attention to the way you speak and act out your piece, but Saucedo had another important aspect that allowed her to win. The uniqueness of her piece.
“The one that gave me superior ratings across the board was called ‘A fart that (almost) altered my Destiny,’ the title does it no justice,” Saucedo said. “I was at a UIL event for choir and decided to look at pieces with the help of my friend Breanna Keelan. She said to me “You will know when you have found your pieces when it pulls you in with the first sentences.” And she was right as always! When I first read the title, I laughed and decided to read it. I cannot tell you how much I laughed while reading. This piece showed the perspective of love and embarrassing moments the couple had and it just reminded me of how simple life can be but so full of love and laughter.”
Picking the funniest piece and constantly getting ready for regionals, big plans and a long road of success is set into play for Saucedo.
“I have the privilege to perform my pieces again at UIL Regionals. To be honest, I cannot say that I will perfect them,” Saucedo said. “Because the pieces I chose are simply perfect on their own. But all I do know is that practice makes perfect. My practice will truly captivate the moments seen in these pieces.”
