Artifact Speech Outline

I. Introduction
A. Attention Getter: Have you ever been to a Red Wings game or any hockey game for that matter? If you have think about the intensity and passion coming from the players on the ice as they battle to win the game. That intensity and passion is what made me love the game of hockey.
B. Reason to Listen: I have been watching and playing the game of hockey since I was 6 years old. Hockey is the ultimate test of teamwork and commitment, and the game itself has had a bigger impact on me than I could have ever imagined.
C. Thesis Statement: Today, I brought in my old hockey stick that represents the impact that the game has had on me as a person and how the game has strengthened my relationships with people.
D. Main Points:
1. First, I will explain the importance of the game of hockey and how it has helped me personally.
2. Second, I will share with you how I have become even closer with family members through this game.
3. Finally, I will explain why I chose to bring this stick over any other stick or piece of equipment.
II. Body
A. The game has done a great deal to help me become a better person.

1. At a young age hockey taught me how to stay committed to something and how to work as a team. Hockey also trained me to become a leader. These are great skills to have especially at a young age and they have continued to pay dividends for me, as I grow older.

2. These skills have made high school and now college a little easier for me. Leadership and teamwork are essential in the business world, so as a business student here at CMU I am grateful to have learned these skills at a young age.
Transition: Now that I have told you how the game has helped me as a person, I will now share how the game has brought me even closer with family members.
B. I have become very close with my Dad through the game of hockey. The game also brought me very close to my Grandpa before he died.

1. You would never be able to tell through all the arguments and yelling but hockey made my dad and I best friends. As a young kid we would always go to Wings games. As I started playing travel he decided to be my first coach. By the time I was playing in high school he was my biggest fan screaming louder for me than all the other fans combined.

2. My Opa, grandpa in German, also became very close with me through the game of hockey. He called himself the equipment manager. He always made sure I had new gear when I needed it and never missed one game of mine in 10 years.
Transition: Now that I have explained how I have became very close with loved ones through the game I will share with you the reason I chose to bring this stick over any other equipment to represent me.
C. As I told you my grandfather was a huge part of my hockey career.

1. Unfortunately at 82 years old my Opa passed away. But even when he wasn’t in great health he found a way to help me and still be the equipment manager he always was.

2. This stick was the last thing he got me. I broke my stick in the last game of my senior year before playoffs. Even though he know I could possibly only play one more game if we lost in the first round of playoffs he went out and spent over $200 to get me the same stick I had broke because he knew it was my favorite one.
III. Conclusion

A. Review:

1. First, I explained the importance of hockey and how the game has helped me personally.

2. Second, I clarified how the game has brought me closer to my family.

3. Finally, I shared why this stick is the most important to me.

B. Restate Thesis: My hockey stick represents me and how hockey has helped me as a person.

C. Closure: Although my competitive playing days are over I will always remember what the game has taught me, and I will always have this stick to remember my grandpa.