TALKING HER WAY TO TURKEY ROSE PARADE ORGANIZER WINS SPEAKING AWARDS.

Byline: JIM SKEEN

Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Laura Biery, known to Palmdale residents for organizing the city's awarding-winning Tournament of Roses floats the past two years, has scored a couple of personal awards for public speaking.

Biery, an administrative analyst for the city who lives in Canyon Country, won two first-place awards in the speech and debate competitions at the National Convention of the Jaycees in St. Louis, Mo., held March 13 to 17. Biery will go on to compete in the Junior Chamber International World Congress this November in Turkey.

Biery said her experience in organizing the city's Rose Parade floats helped her in the competition. That experience included talking to large groups of volunteers, float builders and members of the Tournament of Roses Association, and speaking publicly at City Council meetings about the projects.

Although Biery works on other issues, including transportation, she is perhaps best known to Palmdale residents for the Rose Parade. Volunteers who worked on the city's floats the past two years know Biery as the energetic woman in the blue jeans and sweat shirt who greeted them and kept them pumped up during the day, sometimes leading cheers with a megaphone.

"I tapped into all of my experiences in talking to large groups," Biery said of the Jaycees competition. "Instead of a megaphone, it was a microphone. Instead of blue jeans, I was in a business suit."

As the winner of the speech competition, Biery got to address the 650-member audience, making her a bit nervous. Biery said she took a few deep breaths and got a glass of water to help compose herself. "I thought, I've done this before and I can do this again," Biery said. "And I wanted to prove they picked the right person."

Biery was one of 16 Jaycees representing California at the competition. Biery is a member of the Santa Clarita Valley chapter, which also includes Antelope Valley members.

The Jaycees is an organization for professionals ages 21 to 40 that provides social, networking and professional development opportunities. The organization also conducts community outreach and philanthropic projects.

In the speech competition, competitors were given a topic just minutes before they were to talk. Biery's first topic was, "Who is a star to you?"

"They give you a topic right there and give you a few minutes to compose yourself," Biery said. "It's about thinking on your feet."

For her "stars," Biery chose former City Manager Bob Toone; her father, Jim, who is the public works director for the city of Buena Park; and Jenny Ketchepaw, the 2006 president of the Santa Clarita Valley Jaycees chapter.

"Watching Laura truly excel at the Jaycees National Convention was a privilege and an honor," Ketchepaw said. "I have watched her grow into an exceptional young woman. I was truly inspired by her speech. Her continued dedication to her work, her family, and her Jaycees chapter is amazing."

Her second speech involved applying a quotation from the Chinese philosopher Confucius: "If I hear, I forget; if I see, I remember; if I do, I understand." Biery applied the quote to her experiences with the Jaycees, saying she had heard about the organization and had seen members at different events.

"It wasn't until I finally joined the Jaycees that I understood the impact they have, not only on the individual, but in the community."

In the debate competition, Biery was part of a team that included Todd Hampton and Dawn Abasta. The topics included whether smoking should be banned in public places -- a debate the city of Palmdale has gone through in recent months. "It was wonderful," Biery said of the topic. "I had seen all the research the city had done and heard the individuals from the public who came up to testify."

In winning the competitions, Biery will have half of her expenses paid for the Junior Chamber International World Congress in Antalya, Turkey. The event will be held Nov. 5 to 11.

Biery said the event won't interfere with preparation for Palmdale's float for the 2008 Tournament of Roses.

james.skeen@dailynews

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Laura Biery, a Palmdale administrative analyst known for organizing the city's award-winning Tournament of Roses floats the past two years, won two first-place awards in the speech and debate competitions at the National Convention of the Jaycees in St.Louis, Mo., held March 13 to17. Biery will go on to compete in the Junior Chamber International World Congress this November in Turkey.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer