statement from jeff nickels

another in a series of statements from those interested in being captains next year...
please send me your feedback at ktopham@d115.org

My name is Jeffrey Nickels, and I am a junior this year. I’m writing to inform you of my interest of being a team captain for next year. This year ends my second full year as a Forensics team member, and I feel the time I’ve put into Forensics, including every meet this year and most of last year’s meets, has given me the experience and leadership skills needed to be a captain.

If appointed captain, one of my main priorities would be to try and expand our team’s numbers by actively promoting Forensics and really working with newcomers to try and make them feel like a part of the team as soon as possible. I also think that more leadership from captains and experienced members will be needed, and delegating some coaching duties to juniors and seniors will increase efficiency as well as team-building.

Having Tuesdays be set aside for showcase performances in front of the rest of the team is a great way to get everyone involved and to receive necessary feedback, and as captain I would work to expand that idea so that at least one day out of the week would be set aside for teammates in a particular event to work together and perform their pieces in front of each other so as to give each other feedback and to be exposed to other pieces in their given event.

These are only some of the ideas that I would promote as a captain next year. I believe Forensics is primarily about the team, and by having students take more active leadership roles, working to expand our roster and training novices with special attention, and increasing peer criticism by having members in similar events work together, I believe the team will become stronger, more competitive, and more efficient than ever before.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on how to improve our Forensics team. I would love to talk with any of the coaches or other captain applicants about any or all of the ideas listed above, and hopefully we can work together to make our Forensics team of next year our best yet. Thanks again.