An interview with the 2025 NCRA Speed Contest winner Sherry Bryant
Congratulations to official court reporter Sherry Bryant, RPR, RMR, CRR, of Harrisburg, Pa., who won the 2025 NCRA Speed Contest. The 2025 trophy marks Bryant’s third in the Speed Contest – she previously won in 2018 and 2012. The JCR reached out to get her thoughts on the new process for the Speed and Realtime Contests (Bryant competed in both) and her win in the Speed Contest.
JCR | This year the process was different from past years. What surprised you most about the Contest experience? What do you think worked out better?
Sherry Bryant | I really liked having both contests in one day. It did surprise me that I also liked having the dictation and transcription in the same room. It gave us more space to write the contest legs than we usually would have, while eliminating the moment of panic upon hearing that it’s time to walk over to the dictation room. I also preferred the assigned seating, which seemed to streamline the process. So, I think those three things worked out better.
JCR | Is there a piece of advice that helped you get here?
SB | My mother was a Federal official reporter who had switched from being a pen writer to steno. My stepfather was an official reporter too, plus they had a court reporting firm. My mom asked me to help with a dinner they were having at their home for the firm’s reporters. After the dinner, I told my mom I wanted to be a court reporter. She suggested I quit my state data entry job (which was boring) and do just that. Starting January 1981, I set up in a corner of her office and worked with the book and machine my stepdad gave me. When she wasn’t in court, we went out and did depos for their firm. I would write for practice at the depo and dictate my mom’s notes, and she let me get paid for the transcripts. So, without my mom’s advice to go ahead and become a court reporter, plus providing the opportunity and means to accomplish that goal, I never would have become one.
JCR | What’s one thing people might not realize about the skill or craft behind what you do?
SB | People might not realize that court reporters do not only work in court but in many other venues as well, including CART, captioning, legislative, and deposition. They also probably don’t realize that they write phonetically with combinations of letters forming phonetic sounds, along with briefs, enabling them to write syllables and many words and phrases in one stroke, and that no two reporters write exactly the same.
JCR | The Speed and Realtime qualifiers are announced during the Saturday Awards Luncheon, often to thunderous applause. What do you hope others — especially younger people — take away from the contests and the announcement of qualifiers?
SB | I hope it showcases for them what an exciting profession court reporting is, with amazing potential, and inspires them to strive to one day be on that stage themselves.
JCR | Do you have a habit or good luck ritual that you use before competing? Would you be willing to share it?
SB | A few years ago, when I would start practicing for the contests, I started also doing daily self-talk with positive affirmations. I started with “I am strong, I am powerful,” and this year I added “cool, calm, collected, confident, competent, consistent.”
JCR | What would you say to encourage others to try their hand at the Speed and/or Realtime Contests?
SB | I would encourage reporters who haven’t competed in the Speed or Realtime Contests to please give it a try. If you like a challenge, you will love the excitement of participating in the Contests while enjoying the great camaraderie among your fellow contestants, plus the practice and dictionary-building you do leading up to the Contests will make your writing better every day of the year, not just Contest day.
JCR | What is the hardest challenge for you when competing?
SB | My greatest challenge is not over-stressing leading up to the Contests even though I absolutely love competing. I started doing the self-talk to help with this.
This story was originally published in the Journal of Court Reporting. Thanks to Sherry Bryant, RPR, RMR, CRR, of Harrisburg, Pa., for granting this interview.
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