Ruth Haile Runner-Up in National Poetry Contest

Hat tip to Horseshoe Seven!

Our local press gets all excited when South Dakota grads get jobs with the National Football League. But there are a whole bunch of South Dakota students who are already in that other NFL, the National Forensic League, who do big things all the time that go mostly unnoticed in the press.

This week's example: Ruth Haile, a junior at Sioux Falls Lincoln HS, took second place in the national Poetry Out Loud contest this week. The oral interpretation veteran went to Washington, DC, to recite three poems to famous judges like Garrison Keillor and Alfre Woodard. Haile'sspeaking ability won her $10,000. I've seen Ruth's work—I've judged her at NFL contests and at one level of the state Poetry Out Loud contest. She worked hard to earn this prize. Congratulations, Ruth!

Haile plans to go to university and work in humanitarian aid. Her hiring by the Peace Corps or UNICEF probably won't receive much television or blog coverage. But I suspect her service, supported by the skills she has developed in the NFL, will do more real good for more people than the hoopla surrounding the hiring process and activities of that other league.