Your future, our focus
POWELL, Wyo. - Competing with a team of only five speakers at the Phi Ro Pi National Tournament, Northwest College scored a silver in national debate sweepstakes and bronze in both individual events sweepstakes and overall sweepstakes.
Individual winners from Powell were Ben Norberg who brought home a silver in Lincoln-Douglas debate and a bronze in dramatic interpretation, and Danyon Satterlee who scored bronze in prose interpretation.
From Townsend, Mont., Pam Garman hauled home four bronze awards for her performances in the Lincoln-Douglas debate, parliamentary debate, extemporaneous speaking and impromptu speaking. Tiffany Kennedy, also of Townsend, matched Garman in debate with bronze in both the Lincoln-Douglas and parliamentary events.
The NWC Forensics Team invited a couple of special guests to the tournament this year: retiring communication faculty Charlotte Patrick and Vice President for Academic Affairs Sher Hruska.
"The national tournament gives me renewed hope for the future leadership of our communities, states, and country," Hruska said. "Over 400 students from across the nation earned the opportunity to compete. Student performances attest that there are hundreds of thoughtful, talented, energetic students eager for positions of influence. The awards ceremony was a celebration of hard work, talent, cooperation and competition. I was thrilled to be there to help honor the accomplishments of the students."
Hruska added that "Duane Fish (one of the NWC forensics coaches) was the hero of the tournament. His praises were sung throughout the week as the tournament director par-excellence. A national award now carries his name."
While Fish is keeping quiet about his own accolades, he's happy to put the NWC student awards into a larger perspective. "We outpaced all of the regional schools by a long shot," Fish said. "Casper College won only two awards and no sweepstakes, Laramie County Community College had only one bronze sweepstakes and a couple of individual awards. Eastern Wyoming College got snowed out. We beat all of the regional schools including El Paso and Glendale, Ariz."
Also playing a big part in the NWC winnings were Jeannie Hunt and Fred Ebert, the other NWC forensics coaches.
The Phi Rho Pi Tournament, held April 6-11 in Portland, Ore., ends the 2008-09 season for the NWC Forensics Team.