Speech and Debate Team Preps for Nationals
The Truman Speech and Debate Team traveled the weekend of Oct. 1 to Illinois State University, the site of the 2011 National Championship Tournament scheduled for April.
As a warm-up to this event, the university conducted an invitational comprising of two tournaments in one weekend. Truman went up against such speech and debate powerhouse teams as Western Kentucky University, Bradley University and Ohio University.
The team brought four individual competitors, including three freshmen, to the event.
“I wanted the novices to be entered in the varsity category so that they could see where the bar is set.” Kristi Scholten, director of forensics, said. “They may crash and burn the first time but they do learn where they need to be by observing the best of the best.”
There was one very promising outcome of the weekend. Junior Andrew Grojean seized the 6th place trophy in varsity persuasive speaking the first half of the tournament. During the second competition he did one better and clinched the 5th place persuasion award.
The team will be traveling again at the end of the month to Omaha, Neb., to compete at Creighton University.
Students interested in Truman speech and debate can contact Scholten at kscholten@truman.edu.
As a warm-up to this event, the university conducted an invitational comprising of two tournaments in one weekend. Truman went up against such speech and debate powerhouse teams as Western Kentucky University, Bradley University and Ohio University.
The team brought four individual competitors, including three freshmen, to the event.
“I wanted the novices to be entered in the varsity category so that they could see where the bar is set.” Kristi Scholten, director of forensics, said. “They may crash and burn the first time but they do learn where they need to be by observing the best of the best.”
There was one very promising outcome of the weekend. Junior Andrew Grojean seized the 6th place trophy in varsity persuasive speaking the first half of the tournament. During the second competition he did one better and clinched the 5th place persuasion award.
The team will be traveling again at the end of the month to Omaha, Neb., to compete at Creighton University.
Students interested in Truman speech and debate can contact Scholten at kscholten@truman.edu.
