WHS debaters dominate at C-Falls tourney

Bulldog debaters grabbed first and second places in both policy debate and Lincoln-Douglas debates at the Columbia Falls Speech and Debate Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 9.

"What a showing from the Whitefish debate side," head coach Pat McLaughlin said. "I don't remember when a Class A school achieved that honor."

Seniors Joe Mazur and Jack Hyer took home the gold in policy debate, with junior Matt Danczyk and sophomore Carl Kohnstamm taking the silver.

Senior Josh Schott pocketed another first-place finish in Lincoln-Douglas, with Tanner Conrad right behind in second.

"Our debaters seem to be peaking just in time for the divisional and state tournaments coming up later this month," Mazur said.

Despite the Whitefish debaters' dominance, the speech side sputtered, resulting in a second-place finish behind powerhouse Columbia Falls. Stevensville landed third, with Hamilton placing fourth.

Newcomers to extemporaneous speaking, senior Haley Hill, finished third with senior John Joern placing seventh in the same event. Joern also grabbed fifth in memorized public address. Original orator junior Julie Peterman finished sixth.

Columbia Falls hosted 19 varsity and junior varsity teams from 16 schools. Flathead High School was the sole AA team. There were 11 Class A schools, and four Class B schools from the Northwest, Southwest and Central divisions.

Next up is the Bigfork tournament on Saturday, Jan. 16, followed by the Northwest Divisional Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 23, in Whitefish, and the state tournament on Jan. 29 and 30, in Corvallis.

Judges will be needed for the divisional tournament here. No experience is necessary. Past judges say it's a fun and rewarding experience, and novices will be impressed by the level of competition. Lunch is provided for all judges.

McLaughlin will host two judging clinics — speech and drama only on Tuesday, Jan. 19, and debate only on Thursday, Jan. 21, both in the high school library at 5:30 p.m. Handbooks and sample ballots will be provided.

Anyone interested in judging can contact McLaughin at 862-4559 or at the high school at 862-8600 or by e-mailing 2birders@bresnan.net.