Undebatable Champions: Speech and Debate Winners at the State Meet

Newman’s Speech and Debate team recently participated in the Louisiana State Tournament of Champions, where high school debaters compete against schools from around the state. Newman’s team was among 56 competitors at the Tournament of Champions. Many of our Debate team members distinguished themselves at the event and three returned home as champions. Below is the compete rundown and a post-game report submitted by coached Greg Malis and Alma Nicholson.

 

Royden Lynch – Congressional Debate

Kevin Qi – Congressional Debate

Liam Whalen – Congressional Debate

Anna November/Sam Schaefer – Duo Interpretation

Liam Whalen – Extemporaneous Speaking

Kevin Qi – Extemporaneous Speaking

Kevin Fitzmorris – Extemporaneous Speaking

Laura Arenas – Extemporaneous Speaking

Max Kanner – Impromptu Speaking

 

To be named to the All State Speech and Debate, one must place in the Top 8 in the state in one of the 14 events. Fifteen Newman students were named to the All State Team:

Kevin Fitzmorris/Royden Lynch – Policy Debate

Kayvan Khoobehi/Kevin Qi – Policy Debate

Max Kanner – Extemporaneous Speaking

Max Kanner – Advanced Lincoln Douglas Debate

Christy Mo – Advanced Lincoln Douglas Debate

Liam Whalen/James Xiang – Policy Debate (3rd Place)

Avni Shridhar – Advanced Lincoln Douglas Debate (3rd Place)

Alexis Alex – Extemporaneous Speaking (3rd Place)

Alexis Alex – Impromptu Speaking (2nd Place)

Rajan Agrawal/Shuzheng Zheng – Policy Debate (2nd Place)

 

Our last three members of the All State Team have earned a unique designation, State Champions:

Sydney Gold – Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate

Anna November – Impromptu Speaking

Sam Schaefer – Oral Interpretation

 

As a team, the Newman Speech and Debate Team is this year’s State Runner-up, making it the third consecutive year we have placed in the top three in the state.

 

A special note about the four policy debate teams in the Top 8: Policy Debate is the event that got the Speech and Debate team started in the 1970s. It was the event that put our school on the speech and debate map. Post-Katrina, policy debate was phased out of the program, and it’s been our goal in the last five years to restore that part of the program. Although we are not completely where we would like to be in that event, this year marks the first year since 2002 that any Newman policy debater has made the All-State Team, and we did it in a big way with not just one team, but with all four that competed.

 

Finally, a note about our two seniors. Although he has one more tournament left, Sam Schaefer’s three years on the team have included recognition at tournaments all over the country, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dallas. Closer to home, Sam was half of our 2014 State Championship in Duo Reading, he placed 3rd in the 2015 State Tournament in Humorous Interpretation, and he was named the 2016 Performing Arts Award winner at the City Championship in addition to his second individual state championship earned this weekend. Completing a rare feat of being named to the All State Team for four years, Alexis Alex has finished her speech and debate career. She was in the Top 8 of Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate in 2013 and in the Top 8 of Advanced Lincoln Douglas Debate in 2014 as well as 4th place in Impromptu Speaking. In 2015, she took 4th place again in Impromptu Speaking and was the State Runner-up in Advanced Lincoln Douglas Debate. As a senior, she placed 3rd in Extemporaneous Speaking and was the State Runner-up in Impromptu Speaking. We congratulate and thank Sam and Alexis for the example they have set for others on the team and around the state.

 

Our season officially comes to a close in June with the National Speech and Debate Tournament, where ten Greenies will represent our School and our state at this most prestigious tournament.