Forensics Experiences Success in St. Louis
The Truman Speech and Debate Team traveled to St. Louis to compete in Webster University’s annual Gorlok invitational tournament Jan. 27-30. The tournament included 36 teams from across the nation.
The individual events competitors collectively brought home 10 trophies. They also cinched third place overall.
Junior Andrew Grojean won second in dramatic interpretation, third in persuasion speaking and was a semi-finalist in prose interpretation.
Grojean and freshman Arielle Long-Seabra took fifth place. Grojean’s top accomplishment, however, was winning first place individual sweepstakes, an award based on a competitor’s combined points for all events.
Sophomore Jessica Petrie won second in editorial impromptu and extemporaneous speaking, third in impromptu speaking and fourth in persuasion.
Sophomore Sarah Agbehia won an excellent award in extemporaneous speaking, placing her in the top 20 percent of the event.
The debate competitors also took home several trophies.
Senior Dylan Clark and freshman Myra Milam both advanced to octofinals in Lincoln-Douglas debate, meaning that they were in the top 16 of 64 competitors. Milam also received a third place speaking award in Lincoln-Douglas debate. Senior Sarah Backhaus and freshman Nick Gorman advanced to double octofinals, placing them in the top 32. Gorman took the ninth place speaking award and Backhaus took the 15th place speaking award in Lincoln Douglas debate.
The team is gearing up for the state championship competition in mid-February.
For more information, contact Kristi Scholten, director of forensics, at kscholten@truman.edu.
The individual events competitors collectively brought home 10 trophies. They also cinched third place overall.
Junior Andrew Grojean won second in dramatic interpretation, third in persuasion speaking and was a semi-finalist in prose interpretation.
Grojean and freshman Arielle Long-Seabra took fifth place. Grojean’s top accomplishment, however, was winning first place individual sweepstakes, an award based on a competitor’s combined points for all events.
Sophomore Jessica Petrie won second in editorial impromptu and extemporaneous speaking, third in impromptu speaking and fourth in persuasion.
Sophomore Sarah Agbehia won an excellent award in extemporaneous speaking, placing her in the top 20 percent of the event.
The debate competitors also took home several trophies.
Senior Dylan Clark and freshman Myra Milam both advanced to octofinals in Lincoln-Douglas debate, meaning that they were in the top 16 of 64 competitors. Milam also received a third place speaking award in Lincoln-Douglas debate. Senior Sarah Backhaus and freshman Nick Gorman advanced to double octofinals, placing them in the top 32. Gorman took the ninth place speaking award and Backhaus took the 15th place speaking award in Lincoln Douglas debate.
The team is gearing up for the state championship competition in mid-February.
For more information, contact Kristi Scholten, director of forensics, at kscholten@truman.edu.
