The 2023-2024 Speech and Debate Season

The Gallatin High School’s Speech and Debate team has been working hard this year. If you have heard about this ‘sport’, then you may want to know what the Gallatin High School team is up to. As the team is heading into the final stretch of the season, some of their bigger tournaments are coming up.

This year, the state competition will be held from January 26th through the 27th in Missoula. The team has worked incredibly hard for the past few months since November of 2023. The group has seen dedications as they have shown up to practice. As many have experienced, the weather  grew cold over the weekend. All traveling sports were canceled on the days of January 12th and 13th. This ran the team at a slight disadvantage as practicing was their only way of refining some of their skills. However, the team is process-driven, as they look at how they have progressed, rather than their placements. 

So, what is the best thing about Speech and Debate in general? The coach, Shelby Jackson sums it up to: “Watching all the hard work placed in pieces or cases; seeing you guys grow as a team and becoming connected; seeing all the hard work pay off at tournaments; and seeing that team camaraderie that grows throughout the season.” In addition, what makes a good team? Jackson also includes, “One that’s healthy. One that teammates cooperates with each other. One that people want to be at and still find joy.” For all these reasons, it’s a straightforward answer to why Speech and Debate is incredibly successful.

Aside from the team efforts, the team has been facing some issues with fundraising. Due to budget cuts, all or most sports have lost funding. If you are interested in giving the team a donation, visit their website (https://sites.google.com/bsd7.org/gallatinspeechanddebate/donations) to support the Gallatin High School Speech and Debate team. With these donations, the team will be able to purchase supplies and resources for competitors, allowing competitors to get more tournament experience, and send National Qualifiers to Nationals! The 2024 National Speech and Debate competition will be in Des Moines, Iowa this summer. The Gallatin team has been doing great this past year, so continue cheering them on as they finish the last leg of their season!