Debate squad second in state
March 22, 2006
The South Orange County Community College District Speech and Debate team took second-place in the overall sweepstakes at the California Community College Forensics Association tournament, March 15-19, in Concord.
The team, which is made up of students from both Irvine Valley College and Saddleback College, competed against 28 community college teams from throughout California. The team competed against several long-time county rivals including Orange Coast College, which won this year by one “break”. According to Forensics Coach Edwin Tiognson, the SOCCCD team lost by only the narrowest of margins, which he reckons would have been the equivalent of about five points. Orange County historically has produced some of the state’s strongest debate teams.
“This was a great showing. We’re in the hunt to finish the season strong. We’ve been working day in and day out and it’s paying off. To take second is a great feat, but I know that the team is hungry to take top honors,” added Tiongson.
The squad competes next at the national level at the National Parliamentary Debate Association National Debate Tournament at Oregon State University, March 24-27. The SOCCCD team has been the first-place national community college champion for the last four years, and Tiongson thinks the students have a good chance to take the top spot again this year. The team will compete against not only community colleges from around the country, but also against four-year colleges in a separate competition. Last year, the SOCCCD team placed 19th against all colleges nationwide, including powerhouses like UC Berkeley, Truman State, and Rice University.
Tournament Results
Parliamentary Team Debate
Karen Wright & Erik Christensen – Gold
Jen Spradley & Brittany Sedey – Gold
Gene Minko & Rock Bower – Silver
Parliamentary Lincoln/Douglas Debate
Karen Wright – Gold
Gene Minko – Bronze
Jen Spradley – Bronze
Brittany Sedey – Bronze
Interpreter’s Theatre: Irresistible Urge – Bronze
CAST: Lindsay Butler, Lisa Gilliam, Holly Griffin, & John Marchetta
Individual Events
John Marchetta – Prose: Gold; Program of Oral Interp: Gold
Karen Wright – Extemp: Gold
Brittany Sedey – Extemp: Silver; Impromptu: Bronze
Jen Spradley – Extemp; Silver; Impromptu Silver
Holly Griffin – Persuasive: Silver; Prose; Bronze
Rock Bower – Extemp: Bronze; Impromptu: Silver
Erik Christensen – Impromptu: Silver; Informative: Bronze
Lisa Gilliam – Prose: Silver
Lindsay Butler & Pam Flores – Duo Interp: Bronze
Pam Flores – Prose: Bronze
Gene Minko – Impromptu: Silver
Lisa-Marie Tourtelot – Impromptu: Bronze