Your future, our focus
POWELL, Wyo. - The Northwest College Forensics Team notched three more community college sweepstakes wins in January, along with two overall sweepstakes honors, bringing its unbeaten tournament record to 23.
In their first competition of 2009, team members traveled to Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., for the Jan. 23-24 Rimrocks Classic. Northwest was the brightest star there, taking not only first place among community colleges, but first place as well overall, besting all colleges and universities attending.
NWC's Jake Short teamed with an Air Force Academy student to form a hybrid debate team that advanced all the way to the final round to defeat a team from Casper College and win the novice debate division. NWC's Cali Christensen of Moroni, Utah, did the same with a student from Rocky Mountain College to place third overall in the open division. They were followed in fourth place by the NWC team of Pam Garman and Tiffani Kennedy, both from Townsend, Mont. Davis Bonner of Powell was named the fifth place novice debate speaker, followed by Michael Lechner of Star Valley in sixth. In the open division, Kennedy was the seventh place speaker.
Kennedy left her mark in the individual events category as well, taking first in three events - Persuasive Speaking, After Dinner Speaking and Informative Speaking, plus second in Communication Analysis. Garman followed that with a second in Persuasive Speaking, third in Communication Analysis, fourth in Extemporaneous Speaking and Reasoned Response, and fifth in Impromptu Speaking.
Other NWC place winners included Powell students Davis Bonner who took third in Informative Speaking, Preston Eckerdt who placed third in Program Oral Interpretation and fourth in Prose Interpretation, and Danyon Satterlee, who took seconds in the same events as Eckerdt. Lechner placed third in Prose Interpretation and fifth in Dramatic Interpretation; Loraine Leslie of Miles City, Mont., took fourth in Informative Speaking; and Nik Vantine of Cody placed third in Reasoned Response.
The NWC team scored two community college sweepstakes wins in one weekend, Jan. 29-31, at the Flatlands Fiesta Swing in Cheyenne. The swing is two tournaments hosted back to back on one campus. Laramie County Community College and Hastings College were the hosts.
Northwest speakers took top honors in both two- and four-year college categories in the LCCC tournament. They matched their community college sweepstakes honors in the Hastings Tournament, but came up just one point shy of claiming the overall title from Texas Southern University. In the combined overall placings for both tournaments, NWC took first.
NWC's Bonner and Eckerdt won the novice debate division, defeating a Casper College team in both semifinals and finals. Kaleb Olsen (Thermopolis) and Jake Short (Jackson Hole) placed third overall, advancing to the semi-final round, where they were defeated by a team from Casper College. In the open division, Garman and Kennedy settled for third, and the team of Christensen and Ben Norberg (Powell) claimed fourth place overall, tying with Satterlee and Vantine.
Novice debate speakers were Eckert in second, Bonner fifth, Olsen sixth and Short in ninth. In the open division, Satterlee placed fifth and Kennedy took 10th.
Individual events awards in the LCCC tournament were picked up by Bonner (third in extemporaneous), Garman (second in extemporaneous and third in persuasive and impromptu), Kennedy (second in persuasive, fourth in communication analysis and sixth in after dinner speaking and informative), Norberg (sixth in communication analysis and third in duet), Heather Ogle of Wright, Wyo., (sixth in extemporaneous), Satterlee (third in prose and duet, and sixth in program oral interpretation), and Vantine (third in reasoned response).
The Hastings tournament presented awards to Bonner (fifth in informative and sixth in after dinner speaking), Eckerdt (fifth in program oral interpretation), Garman (third in extemporaneous and fourth in persuasive), Kennedy (second in persuasive), Norberg (first in duet and fifth in drama), Ogle (sixth in impromptu), Olsen (fourth in extemporaneous), Satterlee (first in prose and duet, fourth in program oral interpretation), and Vantine (first in extemporaneous and third in impromptu).
All total individual results from both tournaments were combined to determine which competitors scored the most sweepstakes at the tournament. Three NWC students scored in the top three - Satterlee took first place, and Garman and Kennedy tied for third.
The NWC Forensics Team is coached by Duane Fish, Jeannie Hunt and Fred Ebert. Their squad has one more regular tournament this semester, Feb. 13-15 in Phoenix, Ariz., before heading to national finals.