Wow! What a couple of weeks it’s been. Six Division contests & 27 Area contests. Just WOW! Congratulations to all contestants but especially to the winners. In competitions a judging team selects winners, those who received top honours. We celebrate their giving their best, creating a beautiful rhythm to their words. I believe, however & as trite as it seems, there are no losers. Each person who stood before an audience, presented their speech, & learned to improve their presentation has reached a personal best.

Although I couldn’t attend all the Area contests, I did tune in to the Division ones. My thoughts: what a tremendous effort by everyone involved. We all appreciate all who participated in any capacity, perhaps in the background as judges or timers or ballot counters. Thanks to each & every one of you for making this contest season such a success.

As well we cannot run contests without Contest Chairmen, Chief Judges, Toastmasters (MC), & of course, contestants. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who gave their time, expertise, & hearts to make this a successful round of District 42 contests. One more to go—District 42 Tall Tales & Table Topics Contests on December 4^th. Please join us to see an impressive line-up of speakers.

Now the contest season is about to end, we’re on to the next thing—training. This is, of course, required for everyone from the clubs to the Areas & Division & even the District Leadership Team. The dates for these are now set. Please log onto the D42 website to learn more & to register for the events.

Supplement sessions & educational workshops are being held at various times. Our goal is to give all members an opportunity to learn more, do more, & be more. You may not want to attend all sessions but find something which interests you & fly with it.

If you want to be a presenter at training, please attend one of the From Speaker to Trainer workshops. Other offerings include: Pathways Workshop, Youth Leaders Workshop, Collaborations of Club Officers, Getting Your DTM, & D42 Circle of Gold, just to name a few still to be held in November. Please go to the D42 website to see a more complete list of activities.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has done so much over the past few months. We may not be perfect, but we’re aiming for it. Come along with us for the ride. We will create a fabulous symphony together.

D42 Program Quality Director
Bev LeBlanc, DTM