062711 WHS Speech and Debate Team takes nationals by storm
By Sharon Haught
June 20, 2011
451
Summary: Members of the Wooster High School Speech and Debate team have just returned from their 61st appearance at the national tournament – more than any other school public or private in the nation.
When the top speech and debate competitors from across the nation gathered in Dallas, Texas June 13-18 for the National Forensics League National Finals five students from Wooster High Schools team were amongst their ranks.
Sophomore Elizabeth Kleinhenz, who competes in the United States Extemporaneous Speaking category, junior Kristy Kalikasingh who qualified to compete at nationals in Student Congress, senior Matthew Sparr, who competes in the Original Oratory Category, and the Policy Debate team of seniors Maggie Eby and Chelsea Zhu joined the several thousand students and coaches who take part in the national tournament each year.
Throughout the grueling week-long event students from across the country who qualified to attend the national finals at one of the leagues 107 district qualifying tournaments met to compete in a series over a dozen events.
According to Wooster High School Speech and Debate Team head coach Ned Lauver each competitor faces 200 or more students/teams from around the country in their respective category.
Lauver noted that as debate competitors Eby and Zhu were guaranteed to compete in at least six rounds of competition – three rounds debating the affirmative position and three rounds on the negative side on a set topic.
It is an extremely difficult tournament with very difficult requirements to continue to move deep into the elimination rounds, said Lauver noting that to clear to the elimination rounds, a student or team of students must receive a winning vote from at least eight of 12 total ballots cast by their judges.
Starting with the seventh round, the tournament becomes a double elimination tournament, Lauver noted.
Eby and Zhu reached the eighth of 14 rounds, placing in the top 50 teams in the nation.
Speech competitors like Kleinhenz, Kalikasingh and Sparr were also guaranteed six rounds of competition.
Out of more than 200 competitors the field was narrowed first to 60 then to 30 before the semifinals where the top 12 competed and the finals where just six competed.
In only her second year of competition Kleinhenz was a national quarterfinalist, placing in the top 30 and reaching round 10 of 13 rounds.
According to Lauver, once eliminated from the main events, competitors are allowed to re-enter the tournament in either supplemental or consolation events.
For Kalikasingh and Sparr that meant re-entering the tournament in the storytelling event where Kalikasingh was named a national quarterfinalist, placing in the top 21.
For Kristy Kalikasingh it represents quite an achievement and reflects how multi-talented she truly is, said Lauver noting that she competed in Policy Debate during the regular season, qualified to nationals in Congress and placed in the quarterfinals at nationals in storytelling.
In addition to individual honors, the team earned a school award for being the school with the most appearances at the national tournament of any school attending the 2011 finals.
Lauver noted that Wooster High School currently leads all schools in the nation - public or private - with 61 total appearances at the national tournament, which has run continuously except for the WWII years since the founding of the league in 1925.
For Lauver and his team nationals is more than just a reward for a job well done during the regular season.
We dont go to nationals for a week of vacation or to just be happy that were there – were there to demonstrate excellence. Thats exactly what we did again this year, said Lauver.
Just days after returning from nationals Lauver already began making plans for next years team.
Any Wooster High School student interesting in joining next years team can e-mail Lauver at wstr_nlauver@woostercityschools.org to express their interest.
