Cougars host state speech and debate tournament

The Annual Speech and Debate State Tournament was hosted by Niwot High School on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. The competition began after school on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and lasted until 10 p.m. On Saturday, events resumed at 7:30 a.m. and concluded at around 6 p.m., followed by the announcement of winners.

Before the competition, the Cougars spent time practicing their speeches and supporting one another. Sophomore Zailey Lawrence described the preparation process, saying, "The prep process can vary depending on the event you compete in. Normally, I do a form of debate, so I have to research and write a case that I can use in the debates. However, this time I did impromptu, which is a form of improv speaking, meaning I didn't have to prep anything. Some of my teammates also do speech events, and they prepare by writing, editing, and memorizing their speeches. Generally, they keep the same speech for a while, so the week of the debates is just memorizing and making small edits, but not always."

Team captain, Kelly Bartlett stated that her role in the team is to "keep things organized with transportation, to and from tournaments, make sure everyone gets as much help as they need with writing their debate cases or speeches, and provide any support needed!"

By the end of the tournament, the Cougars were tired but proud of their efforts and the experience they gained. Resurrection Christian High School won the Class 3A CHSAA Speech and Debate Sweepstakes and Niwot won the Speech Sweepstakes.

Bartlett said that that team did "absolutely amazing at state this year, everyone had great speeches and cases and performed their best, and had a ton of fun!"

Lawrence also spoke about her experience at this year's state, "This year was kind of interesting because I was doing a new event for the first time, and I am very used to debating over impromptu, however, I still had fun. Most of our time is actually spent not in rounds, so my teammates and I did things like going to Cane's and fruit gambling."

Lawrence said that the two most popular debate formats at the tournaments were Public Forum Debate and Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Public Forum is a partnered event where competitors discuss topics related to policy, economics, and current events, focusing on logical reasoning and evidence-based arguments. Lincoln-Douglas Debate, in contrast, is a one-on-one event centered on philosophy and morality, requiring debaters to argue ethical issues rather than strictly policy-based topics.

Although the Cougars didn't take home the 3A CHSAA Speech and Debate sweepstakes, the team members left with valuable experience and are looking ahead to future competitions.