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NV Places 5th at State Qualifiers

The Speech & Debate team competed at the state qualifying tournament, called Littles, ultimately placing fifth last Saturday. Seven students, sophomores Raad Amin, Matthew Lawrence, Iris Paur, Layla Upchurch, junior Adeylyn Robinson, seniors Samantha Whiteaker, and June Monaco all qualified for the state finals.

“We've consistently been placing third in invitationals with far fewer competitors than larger schools like Perrysburg,” Congressional Debate (CD) Coach Kylie Wilczynski said. “I'm very proud of the team. My congress kids especially have really been doing a great job this season.”

CD, which models the Ohio House of Representatives, had just seven competitors at Littles in total, three of whom represented NV, after last-minute roster changes halved the planned 15-person lineup.

For debate captain and junior Adelaide Ausmus, Littles marked a milestone in her first year competing in Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD), a one-versus-one philosophical debate. “It was really cool to see the growth and new achievements from the beginning of the season compared to now,” Ausmus said. “It's my first year in LD, and it's great being able to keep up with people who have done LD for years.”

Speech and Debate has benefits beyond competition. “It [S&D] has really helped me with public speaking and thinking on the fly,” said Ausmus. “I find myself being able to answer interview questions, converse, and socialize a lot better.”

Freshman Natalie Charles experienced a dramatic shift in her tournament outlook after a last-minute switch from LD to International Extemporaneous Speaking (IX) the morning of the competition. IX challenges competitors to create ad lib speeches on current global affairs. “In the beginning [prior to competition], I thought I would cry. I thought I wouldn't have fun,” Charles said. “In the end, I had a lot of fun and learned a lot of new things.” 

Charles described the unique challenge of IX: “You have no context besides the categories you're given, so you're rushed to find trustworthy relevant media that can summarize what's happening in the world. I enjoyed it, and it could be a real possibility of what I do in the future,” Charles said.

Between competitive rounds, Charles found unexpected value in connecting with opponents. “I loved talking with the other people in the room and seeing their perspectives,” she said. “It gets me more confident and ready for the next round.”

The team will travel to the state finals in March where they will compete against top schools from across Ohio. This year marks the 50th year NV Speech & Debate will compete at the state finals.

Raad Amin | News Editor | Courtesy of The Student Prints

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