Senior Peter Van Dolzer is president of Art Club and has competed in Academic Team UIL Speech and Debate since freshman year. On Feb. 22, Van Dolzer was a finalist for Poetry against all 6A schools.
District is on March 28 at Crosby High School.
Could you describe what all you do in speech and debate?
“I personally do poetry. So basically, I read a bunch of poems from a bunch of different poets. I put seven of them together into like a topic that relates to me, and then I perform it. There’s a whole intro with it. You can add statistics or why this topic is important and why we need to focus on it. And basically, you just do that in front of judges and other poetry people and you get scored.”
How’s your season been with that?
“It’s actually been the best so far, which is really cool. I would say my freshman year, my sophomore year, I really didn’t super practice, which is just kind of like a main rule for all the things you do. If you don’t practice, you’re not going to do a good job. Like, if you don’t study for a test. Even though it’s boring and lame, you still have to do it. So I would say since I’ve really been practicing this year, I’ve been able to go to finals for competitions, even though it’s not our main district competition. And it’s so cool because I’ve never made it to finals before.”
What do finals look like?
“Basically, it was just all the top-rated poetry people from a bunch of different rounds put together in one room. There were three judges with some spectators, and we just performed our poetry. It was really cool seeing a lot of talented people. I didn’t get first place or second or third. I got fifth. It was still really cool to see all these talented people like sharing what’s important to them.”
What’s the prep work look like that you mentioned earlier?
“A lot of reading, a lot of reading poems. I would say finding an intro was kind of hard because I didn’t want to write it down. I just kind of wanted to say what came to my mind, but I ended up like memorizing certain things that I thought were really important for my intro.
“There’s two pieces. My A piece was on not really like needing a relationship to be content. I feel like sometimes there’s such a press to like be in a relationship. And if you’re not, then you’re not really happy. But I feel like you can be single or whatever and still have a good time.
“And then my B piece, which is the one the judges like more, is like dealing with anxiety and like appreciating the smaller things in life. So that’s the one I’ve done the best on this year, and that’s the one I like the most. I basically just mentioned growing up with a lot of anxious thoughts and paranoia and kind of breaking away from that.”
What are your hopes for a district?
“I hope to do the best that I can, but at the same time, I have to have fun. I mean, it’s my senior year, so I’m not going to go back next year. So I guess, just have a good time with my debate friends. Try to have fun. Whatever happens, happens.”
What are you planning to prepare?
“I’m just going to keep practicing. I don’t plan on adding any new pieces or adding anything to my intro. A big thing is memory, because you’re still allowed to read from your binder when you perform, but it’s way better if you’re making eye contact with the judges and really show how you feel.”
What’s been the most challenging part of debate?
“Talking in front of other people, especially if someone really good went before you. It kind of makes you scared. And even if you slip up, I guess that’s another exciting part. Like, it’s really easy to freak yourself out if you misspeak and say ‘um.’ That it’s not a good thing to do in poetry, but I’ve definitely done that many times.”
What’s been your favorite part?
“My favorite part is talking about something that’s important to me and also watching other people, I guess. But mostly talking about what’s important to me, because I feel like sometimes it’s hard to find people that will listen. But for those seven minutes, all those judges and all those poetry people have to do is listen. So it’s like you can really share how you feel, which is kind of cool, especially to strangers.
“I feel like sometimes you just want your emotions to be heard, but you don’t really want anyone to say anything or do anything about it. You just want people to know.”
How do you see yourself continuing with these skills and experiences?
“I would say probably in college. These things have really helped me with my public speaking and kind of being a leader in a sense. I feel like it’ll really help me later on in life. I’m way better at talking to people and being more friendly and just meeting people. Art Club and debate have been just great for that. Because I would say like my freshman and sophomore year and like, before that, like my whole life, I was really not good at talking to people or just meeting new people in general. So I think it’s really helped.”
What advice would you have to others interested in art or debate?
“Well, if you’re going to be an officer for a club, I would say do it. But at the same time, don’t overwork yourself or put too much on your plate. I feel like it was very easy for me to do that, and I’m still kind of dealing with that.
“Like I still love what I do, but at times I am like, wow, I am very tired and I kind of wish I had nothing to do. But at the same time, it’s been really worth it. So, you know, it’s a struggle.
“And then for art, I would say I do like to sculpt. I’m in sculpture 3 and I’ve made a lot of pieces this year. That’s my goal, to build up my portfolio. So I would say just keep making art even if it’s bad. Not every piece you make is going to be amazing. So, like, let yourself make stuff even if it’s ugly.
“For debate, I would say do your best, but don’t take it too seriously. And just let yourself fail, but also appreciate if you get fifth place or third. Like, you did that.”
