Debate Team

So, I joined the debate team this year!

and the newspaper article published about last weekends tournament is below. . .

(with my name highlighted for quick viewing:)

A First-Place Finish for USU'S Debate Team!

Utah State University’s Speech and Debate Team attended its first Northwest Forensic Conference tournament Nov. 15-16 at Linfield College in McMinneville, Ore., the largest tournament of the year. Twenty-three colleges and universities from eight states attended.
Among the increased competition and with many larger teams, USU placed first in overall sweepstakes.

“This is especially rewarding because this tournament will help decide the overall conference champion,” said coach Tom Worthen. “USU has taken first in the overall conference for the past four years. No other college or university has done as well as USU in Northwest competition.”

USU’s team includes 12 members and every member has competed in debate and speech elimination rounds with nine competing debate final rounds at tournaments this year.

“We have a lot of depth,” Worthen said.

USU’s Mike Smith received the Singletary Award, a high point at the tournament. The award is given to the best overall debater from among the more than 200 debaters at the tournament.

The debate team of Mike Smith and Zach Myers also competed in the final junior parliamentary debate round but lost to Clark College from Washington. Other USU debate teams placing include Tim Worthen and Teancum Hale, third place, junior parliamentary debate; Shannon Johnson and Bryce Draper, fourth place, junior parliamentary debate; and Leah Reigle and Courtney Hahne, fourth place, novice parliamentary debate.

In speech events, USU had more first place awards than any other school. Bryce Draper took first place in program oral interpretation, first place in mad-libs interpretation and fifth place in after dinner speaking. He was also recognized as the second best overall speaker at the tournament. Mike Smith took first place in senior informative speaking. Zach Myers took first place in junior informative speaking. Tim Worthen placed first in junior poetry interpretation and third place in junior informative speaking. Shannon Johnson placed fourth in senior impromptu, and Eric Peatross placed second in senior dramatic interpretation.

Students in their first year of competition compete in novice division. USU’s results in that division include Leah Reigle, third overall best novice speaker award, third, novice persuasive speaking, fourth, novice informative speaking and fifth, junior poetry interpretation; Courtney Hahn, first, novice persuasive speaking, sixth, novice informative speaking and sixth, novice prose interpretation; Shelly Daines, second, novice persuasive speaking, second, novice informative speaking and sixth, junior poetry interpretation; Teancum Hale, third, novice informative speaking and sixth, novice persuasive speaking.