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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us June 14, 2006 GROOVER Ashland man wins Southern Oregon speech contests Datta Groover of Ashland won the Southern Oregon Division of Toastmasters 2006 International Speech Competition on April 30. All contestants in this competition had to first win competitions in their local Toastmasters clubs, and then in their Area to be eligible to compete at this level. Groover is a member of Area 24, which for the most part consists of the Rogue Valley. Groover also won the Southern Oregon Division Speech Coaching contest on the same date. This contest begins with a target speaker, who gives a prepared seven-minute speech in front of everyone present. The competitors are then all taken from the room, then come back one at a time and are each given 3.5 minutes to evaluate and coach the target speaker. A panel of seven judges then picks the contestant they feel did the best job. Alexis Mason, Toastmasters’ District 7 Governor (which includes Southern Washington, Oregon, and part of Northern California) commented that it is rare for one person to win both contests. Groover has been a Toastmaster for the past three years, and belongs to three Toastmaster clubs — two in Ashland, and one in Yreka, Calif. He began attending Toastmaster meetings in order to improve his public speaking skills, and found that communication in all aspects of his life dramatically improved. He currently owns a local web programming business, and is in the process of moving into the professional speaking business. He has been particularly successful in coaching other speakers to improve their presentations, and is currently building a business around that. Toastmasters International sponsors speech competitions each year to encourage and promote better communication through speaking. Ashland has two Toastmasters clubs: Ashland Toastmasters, which meets every Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m. in the Ashland City council Chambers at East Main Street and Mountain Avenue, and University Toastmasters, which meets at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at The Windsor Inn in Ashland, on Highway 66 near the South I-5 exit. Both Toastmaster clubs welcome visitors who are free to attend meetings at any time. There are approximately 75-80 active Toastmasters members in the Ashland/Medford Area. For more information on Toastmasters, or a specific club email [email protected], or call 482-4568 for the Ashland Toastmasters Club; 821-3225.for the University Toastmasters Club. . DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams