JACKSON, Wyo. — The Jackson Hole High School Speech and Debate Team maintained their successful season, earning 2nd place in 4A at the Mustang Classic, hosted by Natrona County High School in Casper January 29-30.
This meet attracted 29 schools with over 500 total entries. This meet is a precursor to the State meet in March, finding nearly all Wyoming programs competing. The team is coached by Londe and Peggy Gagnon. The team’s second place finish came on the heels of Cheyenne East while Thunder Basin fished in third in the 4A category.
The team continues to dominate in Congressional Debate. The JHHS squad nearly swept the finals with junior Will Aepli placing 1st, junior Carter Worcester taking 2nd, sophomore Sophie Lamb placing 3rd, senior and team captain Josh Hansen taking 4th and junior Lily Briggs placing 7th. This was the largest event at the tournament with 71 initial entries.
Worcester teamed up with junior Sarah Schweitzer in Public Forum Debate where they came away with 2nd place after moving through the preliminary rounds undefeated. The pairings of Briggs and Aepli along with Hansen and fellow team captain Preston Harmon finished with a solid 3-1 record, tying for 5th place. Lamb also boasted a 3-1 record in Lincoln Douglas Debate, tying for 5th in the category as well.
Hansen went on to place 2nd in Impromptu Speaking. Schweitzer reached the semifinals of Extemporaneous Speaking. Worcester teamed up with sophomore Bohdan Barnett in Duo Interpretation as well. Sophomores Blanca Sartillo Mejia and Julieta Anaya also teamed up in the event. The two pairs barely missed the semi final round of the event tying in 12th place overall out of a field of 43 entries.
Anaya and Sartillo Mejia also both reached the semi finals in Poetry Interpretation. This was the second biggest event in the tournament with 54 entries.
Coach Londe Gagnon commented on the weekend, saying “Students needed to be near perfect in preliminary rounds to advance. The scores many of our team earned would have advanced them to culminating rounds at any other tournament of the season.”
The team is planning its own virtual invitational tournament scheduled for Feb 1-6, 2021. For the home tournament, the Speech Team is in need of about 125 more volunteers to judge for approximately an hour and a half each. Judging guidelines will be provided and several practice judging sessions will be offered. Judging experience is not required and since the event is virtual it can be completed from home!
Events include Lincoln Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, Big Questions Debate, Extemporaneous Debate, Congressional Debate, Cross Examination Debate, Extemporaneous Speaking, Original Oratory, Humor, Drama, Poetry, Program Oral Interpretation, Informative Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, Prose, Editorial Commentary, and Duet. Judging these talented high school competitors is an entertaining and rewarding experience that can be completed from the comfort of your own home.
If you would be able to volunteer anytime please sign up! (Link Here) or email coach Londe Gagnon at lgagnon@tcsd.org.
