Court Reporting Contest – 280 Words Per Minute!
Friday, April 13th, 2012
www.courtreporternet.com A Court Reporting Contest. Who’s the fastest typist in the land? If you’re talking about the Land of Lincoln, it’s arguably Melanie Humphrey-Sonntag, who has won the Illinois court reporters speed contest for the past three years. At last year’s event she transcribed the contest’s blazing dictation—averaging 245 words a minute—with a 99.193 percent accuracy. That’s about 4 words a second. Or to put it another way, Humphrey-Sonntag types faster than your average auctioneer talks. Wednesday morning, the Wheaton resident will test her skills 2000 miles away at the National Court Reporters Association convention in Anaheim. She’ll be easy to spot amid the 25 or so other competitors She’s the one in pink tennis shoes, pink earrings, pink shorts—all for luck, of course. Humphrey-Sonntag will also wear a T-shirt that features a photo of her late husband, who died 15 years after the couple met at—where else?—the national speed reporting competition. Most people recognize court reporters from television: A man or (more often) a woman gallops hands across a keyboard with an emotionless expression. It’s a cliche found in most courtroom dramas, although few know it’s a profession perhaps older than the judges’ or attorneys’. In fact, reporting or scribing is as old as written history itself, stretching back to antiquity. Examples of shorthand in English exist from as early as the 12th Century. Humphrey-Sonntag got involved just a bit later: 1977 to be exact …
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Iron Brides TV is a weekly TV/cable/web 30 minute show in production in New Hampshire for airing in New England. Over the 13 week show cycle, 8 chosen “brides to be” compete for a Grand Prize given at the end of the Season. During Season One, the audience gets to “look in” (reality TV style) on the brides as they prepare for the “Big Event” choosing wedding service vendors, learning cooking skills, choosing the right wine and champagne, learning stress reduction skills, tae bo, receiving a massage and learning yoga to cope with stress. It’s fun, provocative and the new direction of programming for regional TV. Go to www.ironbrides.tv for program details. Video auditions at this site are encouraged and submission details for brides, crew, music score and much more are given at our website.
Video Rating: 3 / 5
