Oratorical Contest champion repeats

By Tim Engstrom
From left are Minnesota Oratorical Contest champion Elijah Cox of Walker Post 134, second-place finalist Alyson Johnson of Willmar Post 167, third-place finalist Matthew Watters of Stewartville Post 164 and fourth-place finalist Lisa Vickers of Minneapolis Post 1.

ANOKA — For the second year in a row, Elijah Cox of Walker won the Minnesota American Legion Oratorical Contest Finals. They were held Saturday, Feb. 22.

He was the 6th District champion. He is sponsored by Walker Post 134. His parents are Chris and Courtney Cox.

“Good luck, Elijah, as you represent the Department of Minnesota at the National Oratorical Contest in May for the second time,” said Minnesota American Legion Oratorical Contest Chairwoman Jamie Brooks. “This year, the top two contestants were so close. We had to do a tiebreaker.”

The National Oratorical Contest will be May 16-18 at Hillsdale College in Michigan. Quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for May 17, with the finals May 18.

From left are proud father Chris Cox, two-time state champion Elijah Cox, Minnesota American Legion Oratorical Contest Chairwoman Jamie Brooks and proud mother Courtney Cox.

Placing second in Minnesota was Alyson Johnson of Willmar Post 167. She was the champion for the 7th District. Matthew Watters of Stewartville Post 164 placed 3rd and was the champ for the 1st District. Lisa Vickers of Minneapolis Post 1 came in fourth and was champ for the 5th District.

There were seven contestants who won their districts and made it to state. The semifinal round was held in the morning and the final round in the afternoon, both at Anoka Post 102. Each year, only four make the finals.

At all levels of the American Legion Oratorical Contest, contestests give speeches about constitutional issues, and judges review their speaking performance.

The three semifinalists who didn’t reach the finals were: 10th District champion Dan Nguyen of Bloomington Post 550, 2nd District champion Aidan Moeller of Lake Crystal Post 294, 3rd District champion Titus Maart of Forest Lake Post 225.