James Jolly, the three time speech winner from the Whidbey Sounders Toastmasters Club, moves on to the Toastmasters District 2 Speech Contest.

“James will dazzle a couple of hundred attendees with his hilarious speech in which he explains the proper techniques required to make a meal out of the free sample tables at Costco,” said Reid Schwartz, public relations, in a press release.

Jolly has done well throughout this process, starting with the Humorist Speech Contest at the local club, the Whidbey Sounders Toastmasters Club, in September. He followed that with wins at both the Area 12 contest and then again at the Division A speech contest.

Jolly will next take on the best of the best at the District 2 Speech Contest, which will be held at the District 2 Fall Conference in Everett on Nov. 10. There, Jolly will compete against six other Division level winners.

Jolly is retired from the Navy, currently works at Skagit Valley College as a program coordinator and serves at vice president of education for the Whidbey Sounders Toastmasters Club.

“There will be a group of us attending the conference along with James. We will be there in force to cheer him on,” Schwartz added.

The Whidbey Sounders Toastmasters Club meets from 6:30-8 p.m. on the second, fourth and fifth Tuesdays of the month at San Remos Restaurant.

“Most people would rather die than get up in front of a group and speak. We work together to become better and more comfortable public speakers and leaders in our community,” Schwartz said.

For more information, visit www.whidbeysounders.org. Guests are welcome.