For most students, a cold shower at 5:30 in the morning might sound miserable.
For Whitesboro junior Rip Harper, it was part of a routine that helped him become a State champion.
Harper won first place in prose interpretation at the UIL State Academic Meet this spring, capping off a season of hard work, fierce competition and a goal that had been building since he finished second at State a year ago.
“I didn’t want to end it with getting second, but I definitely didn’t want to end it with anything less than that,” Harper said.
The State title did not come easily.
Harper said preparation throughout the season was built around teamwork and support from coaches and fellow competitors.
“So this year it was very much team-first, team-oriented preparation,” Harper said. “We’re lucky enough here at Whitesboro to have some of the best coaches around. Our team, we really work together to compete with each other and build each other up to help us compete better in these do-or-die situations at District and Region and State.”
Harper competed with two pieces throughout the season. His A piece came from comedian John Crist’s book “Delete That” and focused on the power of laughter.
“It was about how laughter brings us joy in our lives and how it can change others’ lives for the better as well,” he said.
His B piece centered on a dog named Barnaby who helps save a struggling family living in a sedan.
The story carried special meaning for Harper because of his own beloved dog, Sonic.
“I chose my second piece because I love my dogs,” Harper said. “And in my intro of that piece, I talked about my favorite dog. His name was Sonic Harper, Sonic Bones Harper.”
Sonic passed away last summer after being part of Harper’s life for years.
“And I had known him since I was like seven,” Harper said. “So I thought that it would have been really cool to do a piece about him.”
The connection ran so deep that Harper developed an unusual way to practice.
“One thing I love to do is read my dog piece to my dogs in my yard,” he said. “And I always think that’s kind of funny. I swear they run away from it every time, but it gets me ready.”
Finding the right pieces took months of searching.
“I had bought bunches, tons of books,” Harper said. “Because I really wanted to take the approach of comedy and movies and how that has improved and how that’s changed people’s lives and for the better.”
Along the way, he leaned heavily on coaches Tonya Harper, his aunt, and assistant coach Emily Cogburn, along with teammates who continually pushed him to improve.
One teammate in particular helped fuel his drive.
“My competition with my teammates, because one of my teammates, in my opinion, Layla Carey is one of the best prose speakers in the state,” Harper said. “She pushed me to really want to get the first place medal this year.”
The road to state included a nerve-wracking regional competition.
Harper called the regional finals round the toughest competition he faced all season.
“There’s eight people that you compete against, and I went first that day,” he said. “So I was really scared that I was going to get buried underneath all that stuff.”
When results were announced and he learned he had qualified for state, the relief was overwhelming.
“When they announced that I had advanced and got third at region, I was ecstatic and I was so happy about it,” Harper said.
State week brought a mix of confidence and anxiety.
Harper’s preliminary round was scheduled for the afternoon, giving him extra time to think about the performance.
He followed his routine, put on a black suit he had previously worn for one-act play awards and headed to the competition.
“I was super nervous,” Harper said. “But I had confidence in what my coach had coached me to do.”
The nerves only intensified after he finished performing.
“There were some very strong competitors at that in the prelims round,” he said. “I was super nervous.”
His father later watched a video of him waiting for results.
“My dad talked about it later,” Harper said. “He said, ‘It looked like you’re about to have a heart attack right there.’”
When his name was announced as a finalist, Harper could finally breathe.
The next morning came quickly.
After another cold shower, a quick breakfast and an early roll call, Harper prepared for the state finals. He drew the sixth and final speaking position, meaning he would close out the
round.
As he looked around the room, he recognized many familiar faces.
“This is when I really started seeing all my friends that I competed against from years past,” Harper said. “And I saw them up there. I’m like, ‘This is going to be a tough battle.’”
Yet something had changed.
For much of the season, Harper had focused on rankings and results. Before the final round, he finally made peace with whatever outcome awaited him.
“I trusted my ability, and I was confident,” he said. “I believed in myself, and I had faith that God was going to get me there if I needed to be, and if it wasn’t what was supposed to happen, then it wasn’t going to happen.”
“I finally accepted that, which I’ve been trying to accept the whole year.”
Later that day, competitors gathered for the awards ceremony.
As the placements were announced, Harper’s anxiety returned.
“We get to the top three,” he said. “And then they called out one of my friends.”
When the runner-up was announced and it wasn’t him, reality began to sink in.
“And then they called out Ezra, and then that was the second place, and I could have probably passed out right there,” Harper said.
Moments later, he heard his own name.
“And then they called me up there, and it was amazing,” Harper said. “It was a dream come true.”
Even now, the memory feels surreal.
“I was pretty much in shock,” Harper said. “I was just so happy about it. I couldn’t believe it. For all the hard work that us and the whole team did this year, for it to pay off, it was amazing.”
For Harper, the season taught lessons that extend far beyond competition.
“I’d say that you’ve got to learn that people’s opinions aren’t always the most important thing,” he said. “And you’ve got to be happy with where you are at the end of the day.”
Looking back, one of his favorite memories came after the competition was finally over.
“I would say that my favorite memory was probably going to eat with my cousin and my aunt after I had won,” Harper said. “It was a really fun time and there was no stress. It’s like we had crossed the finish line and it was done and we were just able to chill and have fun and eat like a family.”
With one year of competition remaining, Harper is already thinking about next season. He hopes to improve on his judges’ rankings and see more teammates reach Austin alongside him.
But for now, Harper can enjoy the accomplishment he spent an entire year chasing.
When asked if there was anything else people should know about his UIL experience, his answer was simple.
“I’d like to give all the glory to God.”
