Courtroom drama and . . . zombies?

Judge Maurice Taitt

I enjoyed the opportunity to attend the REAL Trial of the Century on Tuesday, May 24. It was a civil trial . . . a tragic case of negligence, where the defendants were all members of the "Terrible Toasties" group.

One may say the defendants were also victims, due to their incapacity to see their club's inevitable demise. You see, they didn't have adequate training to fulfill their executive roles, suffered from lack of initiative required to read the manuals, and lacked the knowledge that they could reach out to the district for assistance.

This cautionary tale reminds us not to be complacent with our club's direction and encourages us to keep seeking new and interesting ways to bring in new members, and to balance persistence and change.

The dramatic scene in the courtroom

After the Toasties trial, I was enlightened with a speech on preparing for the impending zombie attack! Ryan Gallagher instructed us all on the different types of zombies, how they came into existence, and the best methods to avoid (or dispose of) them. Interestingly, this provided a good context for discussion of disaster preparedness without the negative thoughts the subject typically provokes.

In fact, the CDC recently used this subject to garner interest in preparation for dealing with the viral category of zombies. Ryan provided everything we needed to be informed. And fortunately for us, the zombies were afraid of the inclement weather that night, so we were spared from the need for Ryan to give a demonstration.

Bill Erwin

Ryan is the star of the show!

Caitlyn and Ryan

He did it! He did it! Ryan Gallagher completed his Dream Big challenge Friday evening at his parents’ home. It was really befitting for such a large feat Ryan was questing to accomplish. He actually gave two back-to-back speeches in one setting. That completed his 10 speeches. Simply amazing!

When Ryan greeted his fellow Toastmasters at the door, he seemed a little nervous. You know, the icebreaker kind of nervousness. In my opinion, anyone giving two speeches in one night should be nervous.

In attendance were myself (Antoinette), Phillip Silas, Steven and Rose Timmons, Jodie Sanders, Gary Chui, Teresa Wilburn and Joyce King. Ryan’s sister Caitlyn was a guest; we all thought she was his girlfriend and she assured us that she wasn’t. 

Timing equipment

Steven called the meeting to order. Jodie wore many hats: toastmaster, table topicsmaster and general evaluator. Rose was timer and improvised with a cell phone for the stopwatch and 2 books (green and yellow) and a red DVD case for the lights. Gary and Phillip were evaluators.

Phillip and Gary did some GREAT evaluations!

Ryan’s first speech was titled "A Matter of Survival." He talked about zombies. I am not into the scary things but everyone else got a kick out of it judging by the robust laughter. Gary’s evaluation of the speech was excellent. He chuckled and laughed through the whole evaluation.

Before the second speech, Ryan provided us with pizza and cheap & nasty beer (Ryan’s words). Then Jodie hit us with great table topics.

Ryan’s second speech "The Dullest Speech You've Ever Heard" was just that, dull. Phillip assured Ryan that he achieved the mission of the title. Ryan talked about paint, and the intricacies of its makeup. Yes, it was very dull, but wonderfully delivered. He proved from this speech that you can give a speech on anything.

What a wonderful unofficial/official meeting. It was a priceless evening. Good job Ryan! Congratulations on achieving your Dream Big commitment!

Antoinette Silas

Our day in court is coming!

Hear ye! Hear ye! On Tuesday, May 24, Afterburners Club 6191 will host The REAL Trial of the Century!

The Terrible Toasties, Club 9999 is lax, inefficient, and everything a Toastmasters club simply should not be. On this evening, the Terrible Toasties will answer District 25's suit against them for damages they are causing to the reputation of the good Toastmasters of District 25. The Honorable Judge Maurice Taitt, DTM will preside. Court will be called to session promptly at 7 pm.

This promises to be an educational and entertaining evening. Naturally, there will be the world-famous Afterburners food. More to come on this exciting and unusual event!

A brand-new Afterburner enjoys the Silver Jubilee celebration

Dawn Mercer

The Club had been talking about the Jubilee since I started going to meetings and I knew that would be the best way to get to know folks better (other than the weekly meetings); so I volunteered to bring a dish to share.

The Tuesday meeting before the event, I was (enthusiastically) jumped on by Brenda as to what time I could be at Bobby Bragan Hall on Sunday. My response was, “What time do you need me there!?” Being military has always led me to be first in the trenches (so to speak). Once I arrived early to help set up the event, I was put to work immediately and felt right at ease getting this event to come together. The Afterburners support system was well in action.

Toastmaster geeks confer

From watching Ryan trying not blow up his face (more than once) with the inflation of the balloons, to seeing a gaggle of men (Mike, Aaron, Gary) trying to figure out how to get the slide show to work (for an hour), to all of us ladies prepping food and tables for the lovely spread, I knew this was going to be a fun-filled event.

Once the distinguished guests arrived and the festivities began, I was nothing short of “in awe.” These guests (Distinguished Toastmasters and above), did not fall short of any expectation of greatness that I had envisioned when it was their turn to say a few words. The “testimonials” that Brenda had added into the program left a lasting impression on me. Not only did I get to listen to the  dignitaries and guests but I also heard from our own club members!  I am getting to know you all much better. I am looking forward to my first “educational retreat”!

President Tammy and

another new ribbon!

Two newer members, LaShawn and Holly, gave great speeches. They are very inspirational. Second chances and Confidence (respectively) were their messages, and I found meaning in both.

The food, the people, the respect and the support that was prevalent at the event is why I feel this club is the one for me!

And I had no idea that we had two banners!!!!!! We ran out of space for all the ribbons on one banner?!

Dawn Mercer


P.S. See more photos on the Afterburners website.

How can you tell we've been good this year?

Easy! Santa came to see us — and Mrs. Claus came along, too!

Chuck and Terry Mencke as the first couple of the North Pole brought Christmas to the Afterburners this year, with a reading of Clement C. Moore's "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and a delightful dialogue about the author, the story, and what it's like to be the Clauses.

Nov 23: More Thanksgiving Table Topics!

Brenda channels Paula Deen. Is that timing light red?

Our Thanksgiving Feast this past Tuesday can only be categorized as a success, due to both the great food and creative Table Topics. Tammy Bailey, the illustrious President of Afterburners, rummaged around her house and came up with a box of household items that each Table Topics speaker had to choose from, and then attempt to sell to the rest of the group in the character of a randomly selected person. We had everyone from past United States Presidents to Presidential-wannabe's, wrestlers to actors and actresses, and an appearance by the Queen of Butter herself, Ms. Paula Deen y'all (aka Brenda Daniels).

Our best Table Topics speaker for the evening, as voted on by the rest of the group, was Teresa Wilburn. In the character of Pee Wee Herman (yes, that Pee Wee Herman), with his obnoxious voice and all, she sold the audience on a very generic product put to creative use, as only Pee Wee Herman could think up. Mr. Herman's masking tape was peddled to us for its ability to work as a replacement for buttons on clothes, as well as taping your eyes open should you find yourself very sleepy during the day. I don't remember the price of this extraordinary tape, but I do remember it was a deal. Thanks to everyone who spoke and/or brought food for making this meeting a great one. I think most of us gorged ourselves to the point of button-popping of the pants. Luckily there was that tape...

Ryan Gallagher

Nov 23: Our Thanksgiving Table Topics

Holly as Scooby-Doo

Rose tries to sell us . . . a sink stopper?

What an evening! What a meal! What a great time to participate in “Table Topics”!

Well planned and orchestrated, the evening was a culinary hit, with turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, pizza without tomato sauce, macaroni salad, green bean casserole, pie, fudge, birthday cake, and I’m sure I missed something. If you weren’t there you missed something too.

Tammy did an outstanding job with Table Topics, with everyone participating except Luca, our nine-year-old guest.

Melessa, Teresa, John and Luca look both bemused and amused.

Imagine, reaching into a box, selecting an ordinary household item, posing as a famous person and pitching a sale for that item. It was hilarious and lots of fun. The winner was Teresa Wilburn, who was quite convincing as PeeWee Herman.

Keep on reading the blog, you never know what you have missed.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Linda Coleman

Thinking ahead to the holidays . . .

We Afterburners usually have holiday functions of some sort, when we gather for lots of fun and food. Just to give you an idea, here's last year's Christmas party, memorably described by Tom Brents.

What's in store for us this year? We're not sure yet, but if you have suggestions or want to volunteer to host a gathering, let President Tammy Bailey know. That way we can decide on a date before it gets too late!

Steven has a full day of contests!

What do clowns and barnyard animals have in common?
Give up? Toastmasters!

At Saturday's contests at Polytechnic United Methodist Church at Texas Wesleyan University, Division D's Clowns theme in the morning was followed in the afternoon by Division A with a Barnyard Humor theme. Afterburners were there in force! Before Division D could even get started, Brenda Daniels, the Contest Chair for Division A, was on the scene and in control. Pat Quick, Division A Governor, was ready and raring to go. Setma Maddox and Rose Timmons were already starting to bring in food to feed the afternoon crowd.

I was on hand to give my Project 9 speech, Persuade with Power, called "Dare to Dream" about the Dream Big Promotion as the Test Speaker for the Division D Contest. In it, I was able to indirectly brag on the super effort being made by Afterburners as one club that is still leading the way in the Dream Big Promotion. The contest, led by Division D Governor James Hansen, was done very well and was a great deal of fun. As soon as it ended around 12:30 pm, the Division A contest moved to take the hall.

The tables were covered with red and white checkered tablecloths, and decorated with buckets of peanuts, cow print balloons, mini bales of hay, and incredibly funny theme cards. Ryan Gallagher, Balloon Chair, assisted with the decorations. The kitchen was full of helpers, many of them Afterburners. Marla and Juan Tovar and Holly Trinh were prepping the food. Joyce King pitched in, and I understand she brought one of my favorites for the dessert contest, an excellent rendition of a southern favorite, Banana Pudding. Jodie Sanders was popping photos and awaiting the Humorous Speech contest, and Mack Mercer soon appeared for the Evaluation Contest, both representing Area 12. Antoinette Silas brought the beautiful certificates for the helpers and participants.

We ate sliders made with Cousin's Bar-B-Q, thanks to Rick Newton of Tip-Top and Jacqulyn Hudgins, Area 12 Governor. Cousin's Bar-B-Q also supplied all the fixin's. Setma Maddox made a whole heapin' bunch of deviled hen eggs and Linda Coleman brought the most delicious cole slaw. There was potato salad provided by Holsters Bar-B-Q and baked beans made by Warren Ehn. The food was incredible, and then the desserts . . . They were marked with a sign that said "Remember that stressed spelled backwards is desserts." The only stress was how to pick out the best. They were all so good.

The contest itself started at 3:00 pm to a packed house. Robi Ley was a great Toastmaster. Test Speaker Loren Norris gave his Project 6 speech, which was definitely an example of Vocal Variety and quite entertaining. Mack Mercer delivered an effective evaluation. Later, Jodie Sanders told us of her experience with "Apartment Living." And even as they both took 3rd place in their respective contests, they made me proud to be an Afterburner with them.

Pat Quick gave out the Division's Outstanding Officer awards and our own Brenda Daniels took the Outstanding Secretary Award. At the conclusion, Brenda's minions quickly cleared the tables and the kitchen, and all the evidence of a superb contest was gone.

Thanks to all of those who made it a fun and delightful day. See you in the Spring!

Steven Timmons

Gary's take on the contest!

The Humorous Speech and Evaluation contest was a BLAST! Not even the drenching downpour outside could shake our spirits.

Our own Jodie Sanders and Mack Mercer were in fine form and are moving onto the next round...fantastic job to both of you!

With all due respect to Julius Caesar, we came, we saw, we laughed while eating powdered sugar donuts (ewww!).

Gary Chiu

Sept 7: Fall contest has big turnout

Test speaker Rick Newton and evaluation contestants Mack Mercer,
Brenda Daniels, Dámaris Thorn, Joyce King, and Tom Brents

We had a big night at this year's Fall Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest, in spite of it being the day after a holiday. First, we had excellent attendance: lots of members and several visitors came to assist with eating all that good food. (I'm sure they were interested in the contest as well.) Second, we had quite a full slate of contestants: five evaluators and five humorous speakers, with two people participating in both contests. Third, we accepted applications from three new members — Holly Trinh, Melessa Baker, and Ron Baker.

Yum!

Toastmaster Rodney King kept the contest humming along, with the necessary breaks for plate refills. Did I mention that we had a lot of good food? Leading off, our guest test speaker Rick Newton (of Tip Top Toastmasters) had us all wanting a Porsche. Or was it Por-sche? This was a question that came up several times in the evaluations!

After a short break (too short to be called halftime or intermission, but we had a lot of speakers still to hear), Rodney conducted the humorous speech contest. What an entertaining and educational night this was! A real-life "Bates Motel." A creative practical joker named Benny. The risks of apartment living. Dangerous, independent women. How to determine if your socks are ripe enough to launder. (If you are worried about that last one, don't sit next to Ryan at meetings.)

Humorous speech contestants Steven Timmons, Jodie Sanders,
Brenda Daniels, Dámaris Thorn, and Ryan Gallagher

After the judges and vote counters did their work, the highly-anticipated results were finally announced. There were two disqualifications for time (out of the 10 speakers). The first-place winners will go to the Area 12 contest on Sept 25. Each second-place winner will be ready to compete if the first-place winner is unable to.
Speech evaluation contest results:
1st place: Mack Mercer
2nd place: Brenda Daniels
3rd place: Joyce King
Humorous speech contest results:
1st place: Jodie Sanders
2nd place: Ryan Gallagher
3rd place: Steven Timmons

A big THANK YOU goes to contest chair Pat Quick and the helpers, judges, contestants, participants, club members, guests, cooks, and eaters — all of whom made our contest a success and created an enjoyable evening for everyone. I want to especially thank our wonderful photographer:

Awards Banquet is fun for first-timer

This year's awards banquet was my first ever. I had a wonderful time eating dinner with friends and among many other toastmasters from many other clubs. What I liked the best was the camaraderie among our district's leadership. I didn't expect that from a district that boasts so many clubs and members. I also enjoyed the past district governor's roast. It was the highlight of the evening! It's great to know that our district can be so dedicated to its members and at the same time not take themselves too seriously. What a relaxed evening!

Saraí Garcia

The Turkey Club Raids project gets going!

How many of you have ever attended another club’s meeting?

Years ago, District 25 offered a challenge to encourage club members to visit other Toastmaster clubs. The rules were simple. Take five of your members to another club, and you could walk out with that club’s banner. The only way for them to retrieve their banner was to send five members to attend the bandits’ meeting.

What if our club were to send five members to another club to deliver a turkey trophy we have created? We would get the raided club to swear to display it at their regular club meetings until they could send five members to unload it onto another club.

Here’s where you come in. I invite you to sign up for possibly all of the following committees. Each one will entail diverse levels of time and effort. For instance, expect the Naming Committee to be rather short-lived compared to the Aviator Design Committee. Whichever your choice, all are essential to the project’s success.

Guidance (Steering) Committee: These are a group of leaders who will help guide my leadership.

Naming Committee: Come up with a name for the game, our turkey, and the awards. Expect to work with the product produced by the Aviator Design Committee and the Awards Committee.

Aviator Design Committee: Dress up the bird to make it distinctively Afterburners.

Rules Committee: We’ll need official rules posted on our website and condensed rules to present to the raided clubs. District 25 will probably examine these as well.

Club Raid Presentation Committee: We’ll need a script to deliver ‘the bird’ to raided clubs and possibly to present to District 25. It needs to drive your audience to accept the challenge of displaying the trophy until they can arrange five members to deliver it to another club. Expect to train groups of five to entertain and challenge the raided clubs. Work with the Rules Committee.

Awards Committee: How can we recognize those clubs who accept and fulfill our challenge? Expect to work with the Naming Committee to select appropriate awards. Your task includes scripting the presentations.

What’s in it for you? Tammy has pointed out that all committee members and leaders can get credited in their Competent Leadership manuals. Leaders and presenters will also have speaking opportunities.

I encourage you to embrace this opportunity to voice your creative suggestions, to craft a one-of-a-kind turkey, and to lead a team of fellow members.

Bob Titiryn

July 27: A great time at the Great Debate

Brendan & Jacqulyn

There was quite a crowd in attendance at the 2010 edition of Afterburners' Great Debate. District 25 dignitaries abounded, along with many friends from other clubs, some of whom served as judges, all enjoying good food, fellowship, and two GREAT debates!

A couple of debaters had last-minute schedule conflicts, but Juan and Marla Tovar bravely stepped up to fill their places. Juan and Marla had planned to join Afterburners at this their 3rd meeting to attend, so at the end of the meeting they were indeed voted into membership with great acclaim.

Juan & Judy

Tammy Bailey moderated the disciplined and orderly debate proceedings. The first topic, "Resolved, that Texas should follow Arizona's example in crafting a new law to protect its border against illegal immigrants" was potential dynamite, but calm and reason (tinged with emotion) prevailed. Saraí Garcia's team (Gary Chiu, Ryan Gallagher, Juan Tovar, and Mack Mercer) won the coin toss and chose the Against position, and Phillip Silas and his team (Jodie Sanders, Antoinette Silas, Rose Timmons, and Pat Quick) argued the For case.

Dámaris, Steven, & Greg

After a break for plate refills and announcements, the second topic, "Resolved, that dogs are indeed man's best friend" brought forth a great deal of hilarity. Steven Thorn's team (Dámaris Thorn, Greg Geis, Marla Tovar, and George Arndt) were valiant in defense of canines. Benson V.'s team (Steven Timmons, Joyce King, Linda Coleman, and Tom Brents) were eloquent in their Against arguments.

The winning "dog team!"

The judges' decisions were announced to the usual noisy finger drumrolls that accompany all Afterburners awards: Phillip's team was declared the winner of the immigration law debate (for), and Benson's team won out in the dog debate (against).

All of the Afterburners Club members want to say "thank you" to our friends who came to the debate. Your presence made this a very special occasion for us. We hope you had a good time and will return to visit our club whenever you can.

Jodie Sanders

P.S. See more debate photos on our website.

The Great Debate is nearly here!

Are you ready for the Great Debate? It's happening next week, Tuesday, July 27th. The teams have been chosen and the topics have been selected. Each team knows which topic it will debate, but will not know until that evening whether they will be PRO or CON. Here are the team lineups and their topics.

Saraí Garcia, captain Gary Chiu Ryan Gallagher Hunter Allen Mack Mercer

Phillip Silas, captain Pat Quick Rose Timmons Jodie Sanders Antoinette Silas

Their topic will be: Resolved, that Texas should follow Arizona's example in crafting a new law to protect its border against illegal immigrants.

Benson V, captain Linda Coleman Steven Timmons Tom Brents Joyce King

Steven Thorn, captain Rodney King George Arndt Dámaris Thorn Greg Geis

Their topic will be: Resolved, that dogs are indeed man's best friends.

Timer will be Brenda Daniels, Basil Ogembo will serve as Vote Counter, and Tammy Bailey will be Moderator. Be sure to let Gary know what you are bringing to eat ASAP, as we are going to have lots of guests. If you are not slated to participate, come anyway — we need an enthusiastic audience to cheer (or boo!) us on.

Jodie Sanders

The Great Debate is returning!

On July 27th, The Great Debate will take the place of our normal meeting agenda. Four teams will debate two topics for a fun night of outstanding oratory and, of course, food. The team captains have been chosen, and they are Saraí Garcia, Benson V, Steven Thorn, and Phillip Silas. At next week's meeting (July 20th), the members of each team will be selected, and the topics announced. Each team will know which topic it will debate, but will not know whether it will be for or against. But . . . we must know if you will be present on debate night! If you have not already notified moderator Tammy Bailey of your intentions, please do so as soon as possible.

P.S. Some photos from the last Great Debate are on the Photos page of the website.

Are you on Facebook? Join the Afterburners Group!

Yes, Afterburners has a group presence on Facebook now, and we're already up to 18 members! But wait, there's more! Anyone can belong to the group - they don't have to be a member of Afterburners Toastmasters Club. You can invite your friends in other clubs, friends who might join in the future, family members who want to support us, former members whom we want to keep in touch with - well, you get the idea.

The idea is to keep our current and past connections to Afterburners going, and to make new ones. We want to invite people to upcoming club events, share links, photos and videos of interest, and maybe make some new friends and gain some new members.

So if you are on Facebook, join the group, invite someone else to join, and post something on the Wall! 

Jodie Sanders

Food and fun at the Afterburners Christmas party

A good time was had by all on December 20 at the Afterburners Christmas party. In a switch from previous home based parties, we had this party at the Mi Cocina restaurant. In between bites of Mexican food, there was a gift exchange. The $10 dollar gifts were exchanged according to a script about the Right family read by Joyce King. Probably the funniest gift was the beagle that Will Higgins received. The dog's ears were so large and flapped so vigorously that it seemed that the beagle would fly like a helicopter any moment.

The gathering was capped off by a round robin Christmas story. Everyone there contributed to the story and thus had a chance to demonstrate their imagination and impromptu speaking skills.