GHHS Speech and Debate: What do we do?

The Gig Harbor Speech and Debate team competes in the eight Washington State Individual Events and four debate events at local and national tournaments. The Tide Speech and Debate team has an incredible record of success over its 40 year history, dating back to the school's beginnings in the late 70s. Most recently, we won the state championship for three years from 2017-2019!

Find out more about why you should join the team in the video above!

Types of Events

Debate

In these events students research and prepare to argue both sides of a debatable topic. Some events are in teams, others are done as individuals. These events involve two sides interacting on the topic.

Here is an example of a Public Forum Debate from the finals of the nationals tournament

Limited Preparation Events

In these events, students prepare speeches based on a topic or prompt with a limited amount of time. These events are great for students who like to give a variety of speeches or talking about currents events.

Watch an example of an Extemporaneous Speech from the finals of nationals here

Watch an example of our own Steven Kotansky winning the 2019 state championship in Impromptu Speaking at the bottom of this page!

Platform Speaking Events

In these events students pick a topic and then write a speech about it. These speeches can be either persuasive or informative in nature. Informative speeches often also include visual aids. 

Watch an example of a persuasive speech here

Watch an example of an informative speech here

Interpretation Events

In these events students find a plays, novels, poetry and other literature that they perform either solo or in pairs. You can think of it as acting with just your voice and body and no costumes or props. if this type of event interests you, we need you! 

Watch an example of a Dramatic Interpretation here

Watch and example of a Humorous Interpretation here

How do I join?

The best way to join the team is to enroll in the Competitive Speech and Debate course in the fall. In this class you will learn the basics of speech and debate and have time to prepare events for competition. The class also gives new students the chance to work with experienced students. You can find more information about the class by clicking here. The best year to take this class is ninth grade, but you can take it any year in high school.

If you cannot fit the class in your schedule, you can still join the team. We have interest meetings every September and you are always welcome to contact Mr. Coovert at coovertc@psd401.net.  

Below is a video of Steven Kotansky, class of 2019, winning the state championship in Impromptu! Please join us as we attempt to win more state titles!