第64回チャーチル杯争奪全日本高等学校生英語弁論大会は10月10日(日)に予選、11月7日（土）に本選を開催いたしました。エリミネーションジャッジングと予選を勝ち抜いた12名が本選に出場し、優勝者は萬日向子様（南山国際高等学校）でした。スピーチのタイトルは“A Reason to Live”です。彼女は当日体調をくずし、熱がある中、あきらめず壇上にたちました。体調が悪いことをオーディエンスに感じさせないその表現力と熱意に感動しました。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　第64回チャーチル杯実行委員長　清水春風



結果　１．Ms.Hinaoka Yorozu (Nanzan Kokusai High School)

　 A Reason to Live

2. Ms. Mayu Sakaoka(Kanagawa Prefectural Yokohama Senior High School of International Studies)

　 Breaking the Wall

3. Ms.Ami Hayase(Sanonihon Daigaku Secondary School)

　 Never Despair

参照：「チャーチル杯創設の経緯」

http://media.wix.com/ugd/116f7b_c4d4518662d34097948d3a7d77e0593e.pdf

大会事務局とご本人のご承諾を得て優勝者のスピーチを掲載いたします。ご高覧ください。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　A Reason to Live

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Hinako Yorozu

“Everything with life will someday come to an end.”

These were the words spoken to me by my mother many years ago when my beloved grandfather passed away. Of course, I had understood this in my mind, but after this incident, I was able to really understand the reality behind this phrase. No. It is easy to say that I ‘understood’, when in all honesty, I comprehended the matter, but could not get myself to accept it. I kept thinking what the meaning was in accepting life knowing that death awaits. I believe that most people have at one point, struggled to find the answer. At the time, being too young, I could not answer this question and satisfied myself in neglecting reality. The experience that made me think about death again occurred three years ago when an enormous tornado struck Missouri, where I had been living.

Tornadoes were not uncommon in the region I had been staying, so every house had an underground basement and emergency food supplies ready. If there was even the slightest sign of a tornado, sirens would go off telling us to take shelter in the basement. During my stay, I experienced many instances of having to run to take shelter, but nothing major ever happened. I even started to feel it a waste of time to hide, so people who had lived there their whole life must not have minded the sirens at all.

That day, I sought shelter in the basement only thinking about the amount of time that would be wasted from this “drill”. However, it was obvious that something was different. BOOM! CRASH! Never had I heard such loud noises in my life. The sound of everything falling and breaking felt endless. Several tornadoes developed very quickly and increased in force, tearing down many houses and claiming so many lives. The tornado hit the heart of the city, destroying many large stores in its path. People that were used to the sirens had not minded them, and in an instant, lost their lives in a store in the tornado’s course. Many of my friends witnessed death before their very eyes. There was a mother, who shielded her daughter from falling items with her own body, and was heavily injured. Innocent people who had been enjoying their weekend shopping had been killed without notice. Despair crushed our hearts. We all thought, “Why here? Why us?” I had friends who couldn’t sleep alone at night and ones that froze at the sound of the sirens. Adults and children alike had felt death so close and were filled with terror.

But strangely enough, when you have experienced ‘death’ firsthand, ‘life’ also feels near. Why was I chosen to live? This question hit me and the people around me. All of us started to notice the gift of life. We, survivors, noticed something had to be done, so we started volunteering in every way we could. To those who had lost everything, we opened up schools and churches. We handed out food smiling and saying, “Let’s get through this together”. Even small children joined in cleaning houses that smelled of rotten food because the electricity had gone out.

Experiencing this disaster helped me discover why we live a life that we know will someday end. We meet our mother, father, and siblings and are surrounded by many friends. We, human beings, are supported by love and with that love, we support others. Those who have a thankful heart and an active mind can feel satisfied with the one life they have to live. Any one person can find their individual answer in any situation.