JACKSON, Wyo. — The Jackson Hole High School Speech and Debate Team placed second in 3A at the State Speech and Debate tournament, held online for the first time ever on April 22-25. It was a strong finish to a very successful season.
Jackson’s state squad included four seniors, two juniors, five sophomores, and two freshmen who joined over 250 other competitors and 25 schools at the four day meet.
Jackson advanced 65% of its entries to culminating rounds on Saturday, far in excess of the average of 28%. The Jackson team paced right behind Riverton who finished in 1st with 40 points compared to Jackson’s 38 points. Worland took home 3rd place.
Junior Joshua Hansen earned the State Champion honor in Congressional Debate. Sophomore William Aepli placed 5th overall and 3rd in 3A in the event as well. Sophomores Carter Worcester and Lily Briggs also reached the final rounds of the event though they did not make it onto the podium.
Team captain and senior Warren Levy continued his incredible success in LD Debate, earning the 3A State Championship. He argued his way through 8 rounds of debate, examining both sides of whether or not predictive policing is unjust.
Team captain and senior Darcy Mueller proved triumphant in Extemporaneous Speaking where she came home with the title of 3A State Champion. Jackson swept the 3A top three placings with Levy placing 2nd and senior Maleah Tuttle tying for 3rd alongside junior Preston Harmon.
Teams from Jackson swept the 3A top three placings in PF Debate as well. Sophomores Jesiah Coates and Carter Worcester earned the 3A title of State Champions in the event. They spent 7 rounds arguing whether or not the United States should increase its use of nuclear energy for commercial energy production. Hansen and Harmon placed 2nd in the event while Mueller and Briggs placed 3rd.
Senior River Gayton earned her 3A State Championship in Informative Speaking with her presentation on color. It capped an incredible run of success for Gayton in the event which utilizes visual aides to help inform on topics—the goal being to educate, not advocate.
Tuttle also placed 3rd in Program Oral Interpretation where she performed a deeply personal and meaningful presentation about Native American culture.
Freshman Nicole Checker reached the semifinal round of Poetry Interpretation, the event at the tournament with the most entries. Freshman Alexis Hernandez and sophomore Nayeli Hernandez-Lopez rounded out the Jackson state squad competing in Extemporaneous Speaking and Original Oratory respectively.
Coaches Peggy Gagnon and Londe Gagnon were both nominated for 3A Coach of the Season this year. They were also instrumental in the planning and organization for the online tournament format.
The Wyoming High School Activities Association and the Wyoming High School Forensics Association teamed up with the University of Wyoming’s debate director Matthew Liu and Liberty University’s Nick Ryan to pull off the unprecedented event.
“So many people came together to make this event happen for the students. When the in-person tournament was cancelled just minutes before it was set to start, we as coaches felt the profound disappointment right along with our students,” Londe Gagnon said. “To be able to provide them an opportunity like this during a time like this makes everything worth it. We are beyond proud of the work they did for this tournament and for the entire season. Every one of them are champions in our eyes.”
The team will now start preparation for the National Speech and Debate Tournament. It will be held online this June. Eleven members of the state squad also qualified for this prestigious tournament, the most qualifiers Jackson has ever had.
