Speech/debate team racks up third straight Divisional title

Make it three consecutive Divisional Tournament titles for the Columbia Falls Speech and Debate team.

The Wildcats scored 176 points to earn top honors Saturday at CFHS. Whitefish was second with 110 points, and Bigfork third with 40.

"Our performance on Saturday, while not what we'd hoped for overall, was outstanding and remarkable in the sense that this team has only two students competing in events they had any experience in prior to this year," CFHS coach Michael Christensen said. "Simply put, the work Alyson Dorr and Tara Norick have done in essentially beginning from scratch in their respective events and developing the talents and the confidence of a fairly young and inexperienced group, while helping me with organizing and preparing not only for Divisional but a state tournament as well next week reflects their dedication to our students and community.

"This is a rebuilding year for our program, yet we've put ourselves in a position to compete with the best teams in the state, including Whitefish, Billings Central, Belgrade and Havre, the other top Divisional performers last week," he added.

Laura Burgess, Patrick Ingham and Maya Negron each won individual Divisional titles, but the Wildcats also earned second place in six of nine events and third place in five others.

"So our depth going in has renewed our confidence and helped give the kids a sense of purpose. This is not the team that won state last year or the team that won state two years ago, but a team that has developed its own unique personality and risen to the challenge," Christensen said. "I do think Whitefish and Billings Central in particular remain as teams we'll have to contend with at state, but it's rewarding to find ourselves back in the thick of the race this early in a rebuilding process."

CFHS hosts the State Speech and Debate Tournament this Friday and Saturday.

Those qualifying for State next weekend include:

First place — Laura Burgess, Humorous Oral Interpretation; Patrick Ingham, Extemporaneous; and Maya Negron, Memorized Public Address.

Second place — Marissa Getts and Ariel Ramstad, Policy Debate; Ryan Cox, Serious Oral Interpretation; Taylor Hopkins, Impromptu; Sami Venezio, Original Oratory; Tashia Shupert, Extemporaneous; and Melina Loeven, Expository.

Third place — Nichole Elek and Ben Donner, Policy Debate; Bralyn Joubert, Original Oratory; Serious Oral Interpretation - Sarah Marcille, Oral Interpretation; Alicia Piquett, Expository; and Alex Prince, Impromptu.

Fourth place — Nathan Kuehl, Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Jon Riffey, Impromptu; Catie Castle, Memorized Public Address; Britney Mickelson, Serious Oral Interpretation; Kerri Potter, Humorous Oral Interpretation; and Nichole Riley, Expository.

Fifth place — Jacob Santee, Extemporaneous; Candy Ward, Humorous Oral Interpretation; and Emilee Christensen, Original Oratory.

Sixth place — Tiffany Gross, Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Melissa Carr and Trevor Jones, Policy Debate.

Eighth place — Evan Smythe, Memorized Public Address; and Mikaela Fisher, Lincoln-Douglas Debate.