Speech and debate tops at Kalispell tourney

Whitefish speech and debate took the top spot among Class A, B and C schools in a close win Nov. 21 at the Kalispell tournament.

In sweepstakes points, Whitefish was first with 61.5 points, followed by Columbia Falls at 48.5 and Loyola in third with 46.5.

“Whitefish had a heavy presence of seniors on the stage in Kalispell,” coach Sara Mueller said. “These students have worked across most of their four years to build the team to its current state. We rely on the for both their competitive strength, but also their emotional leadership.”

The team was lead in Kalispell by two first place finishes, from Dakota Henson in novice Lincoln-Douglas debate and Zache Ade in memorized public address.

Mueller said Henson, a senior and newcomer to the team, endured eight rounds over two days of competition to win in debate. She noted that Ade continues a solid run with his third win of the season in memorized public address.

“This team puts in so much effort every practice,” she said. “Much of this stems from encouragement from this core group of seniors.”

The Bulldogs hold their home tournament Saturday.

Individual results:

Novice Lincoln-Douglas debate: 1. Dakota Henson

Novice policy debate: 5. Mirielle Kruger and Ian Caltabiano

Impromptu: 2. Abbie Belcher

Extemporaneous: 2. Abbie Belcher

Original oratory: 4. Sam Benkelman, 6. Hunter Cripe

Memorized public address: 1. Zach Ade, 4. Sam Benkelman