CFALLS WINS OWN MEET

Columbia Falls won its home speech and debate tournament Saturday amongst Class A schools, downing Whitefish and Frenchtown, who took second and third respectively.

Coach Dawn Roe thanked the community for its support, as the high school wasn’t completely available due to renovations.

“The school community graciously allowed us to change the location of our tournament so that we could move forward with the tournament as planned.  Thank you to the Wildcat community for the use of your buildings and classrooms.  Thank you to the Columbia Falls community for the clothing donations to replace our giving closet, and for the donation of your time to judge,” Roe said.

Following are local results. 

Dramatic Interpretation 

1. Kory Moran, Columbia Falls 

3. Rozylinn Ray, Glacier 

4. Fallon Maas, Flathead 

5. Lynne Beisel, Flathead 

8. Von Blanchard, Columbia Falls 

Humorous Interpretation 

1. Eli Sanderson Strutz, Glacier 

2. Bayliss Cummings, Flathead 

4. Tia Marie Poor, Columbia Falls 

5.  Jayden Astley, Flathead

6. Szonja Czinner, Flathead  

7. Miles Kuss, Flathead 

Duo Interpretation 

1. Carson Settles and Reed Wollenzien, Columbia Falls 

2. Brandon Widhalm and Kory Moran, Columbia Falls 

4. Allycyn Palmer and Merrick Fairchild, Columbia Falls 

6. Reid Sanders and Tesla Liebe-Cohen, Glacier 

8. Hannah Heward and Kyla Turley, Glacier 

Program Oral Interpretation 

1. Ada Milner, Flathead 

2. Carson Settles, Columbia Falls 

3. Natalie Young, Flathead 

4. Nahla Love, Glacier 

6. Faith Fernandez, Glacier 

5. Keelan Moore, Flathead 

Original Oratory 

2. Astir Pulsifer, Whitefish 

3. David Losee, Whitefish 

5. Yris Hadziomerovic, Glacier 

7. Abby Lawhead, Columbia Falls 

8. Annie Hartle, Flathead 

Informative Speaking 

7. Annabelle Church, Glacier 

8. Greyson Pfeifle, Columbia Falls 

Impromptu Speaking 

1. Eleanor Smiley, Columbia Falls 

2. Cheyanne Kesteleyn, Flathead  

7. Chris Clostio, Flathead 

8. Sage Petioni, Columbia Falls

Extemporaneous Speaking 

1. David Losee, Whitefish 

2. Selah Heinzen, Columbia Falls 

3. Lincoln McElwain, Flathead 

4. Wyatt Jensen, Glacier 

5. Derek McDonough, Flathead 

6. Mason Loeffler, Whitefish 

8. Erek Benson, Flathead 

Memorized Public Address 

1. Kira Shanks, Columbia Falls 

2. Merell Cooley, Columbia Falls 

4. Unity Loveless, Whitefish 

5. Makinzie Taylor, Columbia Falls 

7. Toviah Graham, Flathead 

8. Logan Covey, Whitefish 

Policy Debate 

1. Boon Shanks and Lauren Rogers, Columbia Falls 

2. Jake Dunker and Avery Sorensen, Whitefish 

4. Vana Fortune and Ethan Hunsaker, Whitefish 

5. Mikayla King and Cayden Porter, Flathead 

6. Teyvia Davis and  Elizabeth Easley, Flathead 

8. Elle Sauer and Thomas Dunlap, Flathead 

7. Andrew Gibbs and Cohen Gates, Whitefish 

Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate 

1. Maya Graham, Flathead 

4. E Ratchye, Whitefish 

6. Melody McNally, Columbia Falls 

Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate 

1. Noah Elliott, Glacier 

2. Anouk Lee, Flathead 

3. Jude Sparkman, Glacier 

4. Johan Axelsen, Flathead 

5. Dominic Hall, Glacier

6. Tucker Buls, Glacier 

7. Josie Ekholt, Columbia Falls 

Varsity Public Forum Debate 

1. Kaya Carlburg and Quinn Caudle, Columbia Falls 

2. Keegan West and Jack Blodgett, Flathead 

3. Brynn McDonald and Solvei Gundersen, Whitefish 

4. Garrison Burger and Fin Reed, Flathead 

8. Abigail O'Connell and Vikram Vatti, Flathead 

Novice Public Forum Debate 

1. Olivia Kufa and Lindsey Lemler, Glacier 

2. Huzhao Miele and Olivier Casey, Glacier 

3. Josie Morrison and Padmaja Vatti, Flathead 

4. Griffin Ingersoll and Camden Knutson, Glacier 

5. Ed McNeil and Wyatt Sharp, Glacier 

6. Alton Olson and Stimson Dolesh, Columbia Falls 

7. Jay Carlin and Chloe Kinsella, Columbia Falls

M[LES CITY MEET

All reactions:

44

 

KALISPELL TRNY

Logger Speech and Debate competed in the Stumptown Invitational in Whtefish this weekend. With 17 schools and 252 students participating, it was a large and competitive meet. 5 Loggers made the top 10 going into finals. 2 students placed! Cash Vaugh #4 and Layla Dagel #7, both in Informative Speaking

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team looks to nab another state A title this season and already they’ve been showing their mettle at early meets.

They opened the season Oct. 28 with a win in Corvallis with 184 overall points. East Helena placed second with 66 overall points followed by Whitefish, with 64 points.

The season started a week earlier than normal, coach Dawn Roe said, because Corvallis wanted to host a tourney early, as teams from the south don’t travel as much once winter weather sets in.

The Wildcats won the state A meet last year, the program’s 23rd overall and first for coach Roe. They have eight seniors on the squad, but lost a few state champions from last season. They also have some returning, including senior Lucas Counts and junior Carson Settles. Settles was a state champ in informative last season and Counts paired up with Zack Tillman for a title in duo interpretation.

Counts has a new partner this year and Settles won in Corvallis and has paired up with Reed Wollenzein in duo interpretation as well. They already notched a win in Corvallis.

The squad also features senior Ruby Davis, who placed in a couple of events at state last year

All told they have a team of 43 which includes 25 returning from last year’s state championship team.  

Roe said the team grew across all grade levels and this year  — with 10 freshmen, 16 sophomores, eight juniors, and nine seniors.

Enthusiasm is high.

“They were coming in the first day of school wanting to practice,” Roe said.

Younger members are also stepping up — Eleanor Smiley looks good in Impromptu; Kory Moran in Humorous Interpretation and Quinn Caudle and Chris Daenzer in public forum debate to name a few. They all took titles in Corvallis.

The team will also travel to Bozeman Nov. 10-11 and compete with some eastern Montana schools.

This is Roe’s third season as head coach. She is assisted by Mikel Knutson, Ian Wheeler, Alix Major and Kavin Wickham.

Columbia Falls is hosting the State tournament Jan. 26-27 and is already signing up judges for the largest tournament of the year.

Folks interested in judging can contact Roe at: d_roe@cfmtschools.net

CFALLS SPEECH WIN 2023 STATE

2022-2023 STATE SPEECH--1ST=COLUMBIA FALLS; 2ND=?; 3RD=LAUREL

2022-2023 STATE DRAMA==1ST=LAUREL; 2ND=BILLINGS CENTRAL; 3RD=SIDNEY

https://hungryhorsenews.com/news/2023/jan/23/columbia-falls-speech-and-debate-wins-western-titl/

12-10-22

Speech wins again | Hungry Horse News

11-9-22

Speech and debate making its mark | Hungry Horse News

Columbia Falls speech and debate takes second at the Western A divisional tourney | Hungry Horse News

CFALLS WINS POLSON MEET

https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2021/dec/21/columbia-falls-speech-captures-win-piratepalooza/

COLUMBIA FALLS MEET

C/KATS WIN OWN MEET

https://hungryhorsenews.com/news/2021/nov/24/cats-win-speech-and-debate-tourney/

MSLA MEET

https://hungryhorsenews.com/news/2021/nov/17/speech-does-well-needs-coaches-home-meet/

HAMILTON MEET

https://hungryhorsenews.com/news/2021/nov/10/speech-and-debate-wins-hamilton/

KALISPELL MEET RESULTS

https://hungryhorsenews.com/news/2021/nov/03/speech-and-debate-competes-kalispell-kickoff/

February 05, 2020 at 7:53 am | By Chris Peterson

The Bulldogs had more champions. But the Wildcats had more points.

And so the Columbia Falls speech and debate team won its 15th consecutive Class A speech and debate championship Saturday night in Whitefish.

The Wildcats edged the Bulldogs 256-216 for the title. Isaac Adams was the lone champion for Columbia Falls, winning in dramatic interpretation.

The Cats’ depth paid off, coach Tara Norick said.

“It was a team effort across the board,” she said. “We supported each other and that’s what makes the difference. It’s just a great group of kids.”

Adams was not expecting to win.

“I’m extremely excited and surprised,” he said shortly after the win. “It took a lot of effort against the odds.”

Adams noted that he’s only been with the team a couple of years. The senior didn’t even start speech until his junior year.

“I wasn’t really expecting much.”

He also took third in humorous interpretation.

While Adams may have a flair for the dramatic, he says he plans on being an accountant after college.

The Cats made it to the finals in all but one event — memorized public address. They also did very well in the debate events, which helped put them over the top, Norick added.

Here’s how they did:

Policy Debate

Second - Calie Johnson and Tre Finley

Third - Emma Stephens and Shyane Williams

Fourth - Finley Sundberg and Ava Foley

Lincoln Douglas Debate

Fourth - Raphe Salmon

Sixth - Eddie Chisholm

Public Forum Debate

Second - Lara Erickson and Laney Conger

Eighth - Damon Morris and Jesse Rusche

Humorous Interpretation

Third - Isaac Adams

Fifth - Ave McDonald

Dramatic Interpretation

First - Isaac Adams

Third - Griffin Conger

Fifth - Chloe Coberly

Oratory

Second - Julia Sowerwine

Memorized Public Address

Second - Suzanna Rosalez

Sixth - Julia Sowerwine

Informative

Fourth - Aiden Judge

Sixth - Anna Pickard

Impromptu

Third - Sam Lovering

Eighth - Maggie McKeon

Extemporaneous

Second - Maggie McKeon

Third - Sam Lovering

Sixth - Aiden Judge

January 29, 2020 at 9:06 am | By Chris Peterson

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team poses with the divisional trophy. Front row, from left is Siri Erickson, Sheridan Skerritt, Eddie Chisholm, Shyane Williams, Taylor Stephens, Calie Johnson, Anna Pickard; second row, Ava Foley, Griffin Conger, Emma Stephens, Brayden Crawford, Finley Sundberg, Maggie McKeon; third row, Suzanna Rosalez, Laney Conger, Julia Sowerwine, Chloe Coberley, Raphe Salmon, Isaac Adams; fourth row, Aiden Judge, Damon Morris, Jesse Rusche, Ave McDonald, Konnor Heindl, Aiden Rohn, Sam Lovering. Not pictured: Trey Finley

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team will look to take its 15th straight state title this weekend. While they won the Western A divisional crown last weekend, they know they still have a lot of work to do.

The state tournament is in Whitefish and the Wildcats haven’t won there in four years and the last time they lost a state tourney it was in Whitefish.

This year’s squad has plenty of confidence. They haven’t lost a meet yet. They credit, at least in part, a simple team rule: no caffeine and no sugar on the days of competition.

It really works, they note.

“Every year is a big deal,” said senior Suzanna Rosalez. “We all want to go out with a bang.”

The Cats are led by a core of seniors, including Isaac Adams, Maggie McKeon, Shyane Williams, Anna Pickard, Sam Lovering, Rosalez and a host of talented classmates.

At divisionals, Adams took first in dramatic interpretation and second to classmate Griffin Conger in humorous interpretation.

So what does Adams plan to be after high school?

“An accountant,” he says with a smile. “I wish it was a joke, but (accounting) is actually interesting.”

McKeon’s event — extemporaneous speech — is particularly challenging. Competitors are given a question on current events, then have just 30 minutes to prepare a 5 to 7 minute speech on it.

She took first at divisionals and has been on the podium several times this year. The event could prove valuable in her future career — she hopes to be an ambassador someday.

“We hope the long hours will pay off this upcoming weekend. All of us, competitors and coaches, are grinding to the finish and hoping that our hard work pays off,” Williams said.

The Wildcats beat the Bulldogs in the divisional tourney in Stevensville 213-161 and qualified 29 competitors for state. Stevi took third with 125 points.

Competition starts 10 a.m. Friday.

Here’s the individual results:

Policy Debate

1st – Shyane Williams and Emma Stephens

3rd – Finley Sundberg and Ava Foley

4th – Tre Finley and Calie Johnson

Public Forum Debate

6th – Lara Erickson and Laney Conger

7th – Jesse Rusche and Damon Morris

Lincoln Douglas Debate

3rd – Raphe Salmon

8th – Eddie Chisholm

Humorous Interpretation

1st – Griffin Conger

2nd – Isaac Adams

Dramatic Interpretation

1st – Isaac Adams

3rd – Griffin Conger

Original Oratory

2nd – Julia Sowerwine

6th – Sheridan Skerritt

Memorized Public Address

3rd – Suzanna Rosalez

4th – Julia Sowerwine

5th – Ave McDonald

Informative Speaking

3rd – Anna Pickard

7th – Aiden Judge

Impromptu

5th – Chloe Coberley

8th – Sam Lovering

Extemporaneous

1st – Maggie McKeon

3rd – Sam Lovering

November 13, 2019 at 7:33 am | By JEREMY WEBER Hungry Horse News

A balanced effort helped the Columbia Falls speech and debate team to its third straight win to start the season as the Wildcats placed in each event at the Gail Patrick Miller Tournament in Ronan Saturday.

Eddie Chisholm earned the first-place trophy in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Isaac Adams was first in dramatic interpretation as the Wildcats compiled 117 points to win the Class A trophy. Frenchtown was second with 81 points and Whitefish was third with 76.

Columbia Falls assistant coach Blake Ladenburg was happy seeing such an even showing.

“There were events last year that we struggled to have individuals place. Getting someone to the final round in each event is encouraging for the future,” he said.

Despite the strong showing he also noted that there were some individual disappointments, and that with more work we should see more individuals placing.

The teams will compete next weekend in Missoula at a two-day tournament with a format similar to that used at the state tournament. It will be the largest tournament the team has competed in this year, with nearly 650 competitors from all classes.

“The larger AA competition really gives our team the chance to improve their skills, and learn how to manage their energy over two-days of competition,” head coach Tara Norick said.

After Missoula, the team will be back at home for the Columbia Falls invitational. The team is still looking for more volunteer judges for their tournament on Saturday, Nov. 23. Those who would like to help judge, please reach out to Tara Norick at tnorick@gmail.com.

Individual Results:

Policy Debate:

2nd – Shyane Williams and Emma Stephens

3rd – Tre Finley and Calie Johnson

8th – Finley Sundberg and Ava Foley

Public Forum Debate:

5th – Jesse Rusche and Damon Morris

Lincoln Douglas Debate:

1st - Eddie Chisholm

6th – Raphe Salmon

7th – Chloe Coberley

Dramatic Interpretation:

1st – Isaac Adams

Humorous Interpretation:

5th – Isaac Adams

Original Oratory:

8th – Julia Sowerwine

Memorized Public Address:

3rd – Suzanna Rosalez

Informative Speaking:

5th – Aiden Judge

Impromptu:

2nd– Maggie McKeon

Extemporaneous:

3rd – Maggie McKeon

Sweeps (team score):

1st – Columbia Falls 117

2nd – Frenchtown 81

3rd – Whitefish 76

November 20, 2019 at 8:21 am | By JEREMY WEBER Hungry Horse News

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team picked up another win over the weekend as the Wildcats were in action in Missoula. The Cats matched their orating skills in nine events against some of the largest schools in the state and came away with first place among Class A, B and C schools.

“It’s a really long day,” senior Maggie McKeon, who competed in Extemporaneous and Impromptu Speaking events, said. “We spend about 12 hours in competition at a big tournament like this.”

Columbia Falls had three top-three finishes as the team of Lara Erickson and Laney Conger took second in public forum debate, Suzanna Rosalez was second in memorized public address and Isaac Adams took third in dramatic interpretation.

Columbia Falls battled it out with six Class A, B, and C schools, including Frenchtown and Loyola Sacred Heart, and took first place in sweeps with 54.5 points while Frenchtown placed second with 19.

“We are definitely rebuilding our team this year, with a very large segment of our squad being young and inexperienced. This was their first two-day tournament and you could see their exhaustion,” assistant coach Mikel Knutson said. “These are talented kids, and we are feeling good about the season, but we will have to keep working hard to develop our squad as we move toward Divisionals in January.”

Columbia Falls will be hosting its invitational tournament this Saturday and is still seeking to sign up a few more judges to help with the CF tournament. Head coach Tara Norick says that anyone can participate and any help would be greatly appreciated.

“This is a great chance to see these talented kids in action. There are no prerequisites to be a judge, so we invite anyone from the community to come help out,” Norick said.

Those interested in helping can contact Norick at tnorick@gmail.com.

Missoula meet results:

Policy Debate:

9th Calie Johnson & Tre` Finley

10th Emma Stephens & Shyane Williams

Public Forum Debate:

2nd Lara Erickson & Laney Conger

Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate:

5th Eddie Chisholm

13th Konnor Heindl

Humorous Interpretation:

16th Ave’ McDonald

Dramatic Interpretation:

3rd Isaac Adams

4th Griffin Conger

Memorized Public Address:

2nd Suzanna Rosalez

14th Julia Sowerwine

15th Ave’ McDonald

Extemporaneous:

7th Maggie McKeon

Impromptu:

7th Sam Lovering

9th Maggie McKeon

12th Paige Moriarty

Informative:

13th Aiden Judge

Program Oral Interp:

9th Chloe Coberley

Sweeps (team score)

1st Columbia Falls 54.5

2nd Frenchtown 19

3rd Corvallis 6

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team is all smiles after learning it won the state A championship Tuesday. To view a video of the announcement to the team, visit the Hungry Horse News Facebook page. Front row, from left: Emmalee Hellen, Isaac Adams, Ave McDonald, Chloe Coberley; second row, Raphe Salmon, Calie Jo Johnson; third row, Griffin Conger, Emma Stephens, Haileigh Bayee, Paige Moriarty, Maggie McKeon; fourth row, Delaney Conger, Lara Erickson, Anna Pickard, Sam Lovering, Tre' Finley, Katherine MacPherson, Konnor Heindl; fifth row, Aiden Judge, Ava Foley, Suzanna Rosalez, Shyane Williams, Cassidy Norick, Kelsey Wright, Ian McKenzie.

Bulldogs bring home the hardware, breaking Col. Falls dynasty

By HILARY MATHESON

Daily Inter Lake

The Class A speech and debate state tournament was an intense fight to the finish for the championship title.

After the tournament culminated in both teams amassing 187 points — it took not one, but two tiebreakers for Whitefish High School to ultimately prevail and bring home the state championship trophy.

It was another upset win for the Whitefish Bulldogs, ending the Columbia Falls Speech and Debate dynasty’s consecutive wins. The Columbia Falls Wildcats finished in second.

“I could not be more excited to bring home a state championship to Whitefish,” said Whitefish Head Coach Sara Mueller. “The kids clawed for every point and have for most of the season. For it to end on a second tiebreaker was a perfect finale to the season. Columbia Falls was well coached, powerful, and prepared. Speech and Debate is alive and well in the Flathead Valley.”

The state tournament, held Jan. 25-26 in Belgrade, was a nail-biter to the end with Whitefish excelling in speech events and Columbia Falls in debate.

Leading the Whitefish team were state champions Bethany Barnes in Informative Speaking and Grace Benkelman in Memorized Public Address.

Columbia Falls state champions included: Ian McKenzie and Maggie McKeon in Policy Debate and Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright in Public Forum Debate.

“It was pretty incredible,” Columbia Falls Head Coach Tara Norick said about the tiebreaker. “The odds that we would have nearly 300 competitors over eight rounds in 10 different events, and have the results end in a tie, is mind boggling.”

Norick said she was proud of the season’s accomplishments.

“This is a young team, and one of the smallest we’ve had in several years. Every single person on the team contributed to our effort and we really worked together to support each other. Whitefish has an outstanding program and put together a great team this year. It has been an honor competing with them all season, and this is a perfect way to finish the year — a true match up down to the wire.”

Following are individual results.

Policy Debate

1. Ian McKenzie and Maggie McKeon, Columbia Falls

2. Shyane Williams and Ava Foley, Columbia Falls

3. Dani Mayeaux and Aidan McMahan, Whitefish

4. Abby Lowry and Ivan Cline, Whitefish

7. Calie Jo Johnson and Tre Finley, Columbia Falls

Public Forum Debate

1. Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright, Columbia Falls

2. Lara Erickson and Laney Conger, Columbia Falls

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

4. Lilly Butts, Whitefish

Informative Speaking

1. Bethany Barnes, Whitefish

3. Elizabeth Campbell, Whitefish

6. Regan Tintzman, Whitefish

Memorized Public Address

1. Grace Benkelman, Whitefish

2. Emmalee Hellen, Columbia Falls

7. Suzanna Rosalez, Columbia Falls

8. Maile Vine, Whitefish

Original Oratory

2. Aidan Reid, Whitefish

3. Paige Moriarty, Columbia Falls

4. Libby Goldhirsch, Whitefish

Extemporaneous Speaking

2. Abigail Bowden, Whitefish

8. Bethany Barnes, Whitefish

Impromptu Speaking

6. Sam Lovering, Columbia Falls

7. Regan Tintzman, Whitefish

8. Paige Moriarity, Columbia Falls

Humorous Interpretation

2. Danika Tintzman, Whitefish

5. Logan Mercer, Whitefish

6. Isaac Adams, Columbia Falls

Dramatic Interpretation

2. Naya Brigette, WhitefishSchedule

4. Lucy Schindler, Whitefish

6. Emmalee Hellen, Columbia Falls

January 21, 2019 at 5:14 pm | By HILARY MATHESON Daily Inter Lake

Whitefish High School Speech and Debate turned the tide on rival Columbia Falls with a first-place finish on home turf at the Class A divisionals over the weekend.

Amassing 227 overall sweepstakes points, it marked Whitefish’s first victory over Columbia Falls High Schools this season. Columbia Falls finished in second place with 170 overall points.

Aiding the team’s success were five champions and four runner-ups. Whitefish Head Coach Sara Mueller said the team was “pretty besides themselves” following the win.

“It was fully a team effort, as every entry on the team scored points toward our sweepstakes total,” Mueller said. “We look forward to taking this momentum into the state tournament next week where I am sure all teams will come ready to compete at a high level.”

The win is a boost for the Whitefish team as they prepare to once again face Columbia Falls, which defends its Class A state championship title on Friday and Saturday in Belgrade.

Following are individual results from divisionals and competitors qualifying to compete at state.

Policy Debate

1. Ian McKenzie and Maggie McKeon, Columbia Falls

3. Calie Jo Johnson and Tre Finley, Columbia Falls

4. Abby Lowry and Ivan Cline, Whitefish

6. Aidan McMahan and Dani Mayeaux, Whitefish

7. Rally Belcher and Jordan Hayes, Whitefish

10. Shyane Williams and Ava Foley, Columbia Falls

Public Forum Debate

1. Andrew Brozek and Mary Hooks, Whitefish

2. Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright, Columbia Falls

4. Stacia Tremper and Sophie Tabor, Whitefish

5. Emma Stephens and Griffin Conger, Columbia Falls

6. Lara Erickson and Laney Conger, Columbia Falls

12. Gavin Carmichael and Sydney Garcia, Whitefish

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

3. Raphe Salmon, Columbia Falls

6. Lilly Butts, Whitefish

10. Luca Welle, Whitefish

Extemporaneous Speaking

1. Abigail Bowden, Whitefish

4. Sam Lovering, Columbia Falls

6. Grayson Butler, Whitefish

9. Aiden Judge, Columbia Falls

11. Bethany Barnes, Whitefish

14. Konner Heindl, Columbia Falls

Impromptu Speaking

2. Regan Tintzman, Whitefish

4. Sam Lovering, Columbia Falls

5. Paige Moriarty, Columbia Falls

9. Adrienne Healy, Whitefish

Memorized Public Address

1. Grace Benkelman, Whitefish

2. Emmalee Hellen, Columbia Falls

4. Maile Vine, Whitefish

5. Haileigh Bayee, Columbia Falls

6. Suzanna Rosalez, Columbia Falls

10. Lucy Lowry, Whitefish

Original Oratory

2. Aidan Reid, Whitefish

3. Libby Goldhirsch, Whitefish

5. Paige Moriarty, Columbia Falls

6. Haileigh Bayee, Columbia Falls

7. Rachel Bowland, Whitefish

13. Suzanna Rosalez, Columbia Falls

Informative Speaking

1. Elizabeth Campbell, Whitefish

2. Bethany Barnes, Whitefish

3. Regan Tintzman, Whitefish

6. Anna Pickard, Columbia Falls

9. Aiden Judge, Columbia Falls

11. Katherine MacPherson, Columbia Falls

Humorous Interpretation

1. Danika Tintzman, Whitefish

5. Logan Mercer, Whitefish

6. Ave’ McDonald, Columbia Falls

7. Lucy Shindler, Whitefish

9. Isaac Adams, Columbia Falls

Dramatic Interpretation

3. Emmalee Hellen, Columbia Falls

2. Naya Brigette, Whitefish

7. Lucy Schindler, Whitefish

9. Gabby Pickert, Whitefish

10. Isaac Adams, Columbia Falls

14. Ave’ McDonald, Columbia Falls

Havre speech qualifies entire team for state

Courtesy photo/Tim Leeds

The Havre High School speech and debate divisionals team, Grace Crantz, from left, Kaleb Gardner, Melanie Veith, Elaine Atkinson, Joram Randolph, Tristan Molyneaux, coach Jared Smith, Noah Teasley, Dartanion Kaftan and LillieAnn Mecklenburg pose for a photograph in Laurel High School Saturday after the Class A speech, debate and drama eastern divisional tournament.

Havre High School speech and debate saw a successful run at the Class A eastern divisional tournament in Laurel this weekend, qualifying the entire team for state competition with one Blue Pony just missing bringing home a divisional champion medal.

Veteran Lincoln Douglas debater Kaleb Gardner, a senior, went undefeated in the four preliminary rounds to break into the finals round. In a tough debate against a varsity Sidney debater, Gardner lost on a 1-2 split and ended in second place.

First-year speaker Elaine Atkinson, a sophomore, broke into finals in humorous oral interpretation of literature and ended with a seventh-place medal.

Freshman Melanie Veith, competing in informative speaking, just missed bringing home a divisional medal in her first year competing. Veith was tied for eighth place after five rounds of competition, but lost a tie-breaker that could have put her in finals to compete for a top-eight finish. She ended in ninth place.

Havre policy debate teams LillieAnn Mecklenburg and Dartanion Kaftan and Grace Crantz and Tristan Molyneaux earned medals by ending in fourth place and fifth place, respectively, and the public forum debate team of Joram Randolph and Noah Teasley brought home eighth-place medals.

The team now heads to Belgrade for the state Class A tournament Friday and Saturday.

January 08, 2019 at 5:00 am | Daily Inter Lake

Columbia Falls High School Speech and Debate shot to the top in Corvallis this weekend, finishing with 125 overall points.

Corvallis finished in second place with 51 points in Class A.

In Class AA, Flathead High School Speech and Debate took first place with 263 overall points, followed by Hellgate with 103 points.

Policy Debate

1. Calie Jo Johnson and Tre Finley, Columbia Falls

2. Ian McKenzie and Maggie McKeon, Columbia Falls

3. Dani Mayeaux and Aidan McMahan, Whitefish

5. Lucas Coulter and Braden Anderson, Flathead

8. Anton Young and Elyse Pendlay, Bigfork

Public Forum Debate

3. Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright, Columbia Falls

5. Lara Erickson and Laney Conger, Columbia Falls

7. Ryan Vosen and Jillian Wynne, Flathead

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

1. Sierra Dilworth, Flathead

3. Alan Taylor, Flathead

4. Chloe Coberley, Columbia Falls

5. Eva Bruce, Flathead

7. Annabelle Pukas, Flathead

Memorized Public Address

2. Korbyn Howe, Flathead

5. Grace Benkelman, Whitefish

6. Giles Jochim, Flathead

7. Tanis Hadwin, Flathead

Extemporaneous Speaking

2. Scott O’Donnell, Flathead

8. Simon Lamm, Flathead

Impromptu Speaking

1. Scott O’Donnell, Flathead

4. John Shelton, Flathead

5. Samantha Wallace, Flathead

8. Leah Spangler, Flathead

Informative Speaking

1. Bohdi Hollman, Flathead

2. Savannah Metzler, Flathead

3. Julia Wynne, Flathead

4. John Shelton, Flathead

5. Anya Young, Bigfork

Original Oratory

1. Julia Wynne, Flathead

2. Emma Thompson, Flathead

3. Carson Robison, Flathead

4. Colter Girardot, Flathead

5. Sarabeth Rogge, Flathead

6. Anna Christensen, Flathead

8. Libby Goldhirsch, Whitefish

Humorous Interpretation

1. Jonah Love, Flathead

2. James Francis, Flathead

4. Alix Major, Flathead

8. Ave’ McDonald, Columbia Falls

Dramatic Interpretation

6. Toby Diegel, Flathead

7. Isaac Adams, Columbia Falls

8. Emmalee Hellen, Columbia Falls

Duo Interpretation

1. Tanis Hadwin and Jonah Love, Flathead

3. Alix Major and Korbyn Howe, Flathead

PHS debate team places fourth

November 21, 2018 at 1:59 pm | Lake County Leader

Polson High School students prepare for their turn at the second Speech and Debate meet of the season over the weekend. (Photo provided)

A mix-up on the Montana High School Association calender led Polson High School debaters to attend the meet prepared for the wrong topic for a meet over the weekend, so they competed with just a few minutes to prepare their cases.

PHS Speech and Debate Team placed fourth at their second meet of the season against Columbia Falls Saturday, Nov. 17.

PHS student Violet Anderson placed third in Impromptu Speech and eighth place in Informative Speech.

Joe McDonald and Hallie Tyler each tied for third in Public Forum Debate, though after the tie-breaker they were awarded fourth place.

Davis Smith placed eighth in Lincoln-Douglas Debates.

Columbia Falls took first place, while Whitefish claimed second and Frenchtown took third.

COLUMBIA FALLS WINS 13TH CONSECUTIVE SPEECH AND DEBATE CHAMPIONSHIP

By HILARY MATHESON Daily Inter Lake

The 2018 Columbia Falls speech and debate championship squad, front row, from left: Lara Erickson, Emmalee Hellen, Paige Moriarty, Danielle Rosenbaum, Shyane Williams, Haileigh Bayee, Jesse Rusche, Calie Jo Johnson; middle row, Madeline Jarvis, Ava Chisholm, Ave’ McDonald, Emma Erickson, Gabby Merell, Jordyn King, Danielle Schwalk, Ella Hutcheson, Kennedy Payne, Chloe Coberley, Noah Golan, Sam Lovering; back row, Lizzy Olsen, Jacob Hohman, Ian McKenzie, Tre’ Finley, Cassidy Norick, Kelsey Wright, Laney Conger, Maggie McKeon, Kayla McDowall. (Chris Peterson photo)

Columbia Falls High School Speech and Debate propelled itself to a 13th consecutive state title in Corvallis on Friday and Saturday..

“We had a much younger team this year, but they put in an amazing amount of work and that dedication paid off,” Columbia Falls Head Coach Tara Norick said.

Six Columbia Falls competitors brought home the hardware with first-place finishes: Ava Chisholm, Impromptu Speaking; Jacob Hohman, Humorous Interpretation; Jordyn King, Memorized Public Address; Paige Moriarty, Original Oratory; and Shyane Williams and Danielle Schwalk, Policy Debate.

Columbia Falls racked up 244 sweepstakes points to retain its title. State runner-up, Whitefish High School Speech and Debate, held its own, earning 172 total points. Polson High School finished third with 65 points.

Whitefish Head Coach Sara Mueller said it was a “tight tournament to the end” and was proud of the young team’s performance.

Whitefish had three individual champions: Mary Hooks and Hayden Brandt, Public Forum Debate and Naya Brigette, Dramatic Interpretation.

Polson’s Taylor Bloomfield placed first in Informative Speaking.

Following are individual results:

Public Forum Debate: 1. Mary Hooks and Hayden Brandt, Whitefish; 3. Joe McDonald and Davis Smith, Polson; 4. Delaney Conger and Maggie McKeon, Columbia Falls; 7. Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright, Columbia Falls.

Policy Debate: 1. Shyane Williams and Danielle Schwalk, Columbia Falls; 2. Zach Ade and Ian Caltabiano, Whitefish; 4. Ian McKenzie and Ella Hutcheson, Columbia Falls; 6. Calie Jo Johnson and Tre Finley, Columbia Falls.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate: 4. Lilly Butts, Whitefish; 7. Gabby Merrell, Columbia Falls.

Impromptu Speaking: 1. Ava Chisholm, Columbia Falls; 3. Paige Moriarty, Columbia Falls; 6. Madeline Jarvis, Columbia Falls; 8. Taylor Bloomfield, Polson.

Extemporaneous Speaking: 3. Madeline Jarvis, Columbia Falls; 4. Noah Golan, Columbia Falls; 5. Abigail Bowden, Whitefish.

Memorized Public Address: 1. Jordyn King, Columbia Falls; 3. Grace Benkelman, Whitefish.

Memorized Public Address: 6. Emma Erickson, Columbia Falls; 7. Aidan Reid, Whitefish.

Dramatic Interpretation: 1. Naya Brigette, Whitefish; 2. Lucy Schindler, Whitefish; 5. Jordyn King, Columbia Falls; 6. Ave’ McDonald, Columbia Falls; 7. Nathan Depoe, Polson; 8. Ella Shaw, Whitefish.

Humorous Interpretation: 1. Jacob Hohman, Columbia Falls; 2. Ava Chisholm, Columbia Falls; 5. Danika Tintzman, Whitefish; 7. Danielle Rosenbaum, Columbia Falls; 8. Jasmine Reese, Whitefish.

Informative Speaking: 1. Taylor Bloomfield, Polson; 2. Jacob Hohman, Columbia Falls; 3. Tintzman, Whitefish; 6. Brendan Gibson, Whitefish; 7. Elizabeth Campbell, Whitefish.

Original Oratory: 1. Paige Moriarty, Columbia Falls; 6. Violet Anderson, Polson; 7. Geneva des Lions, Polson.

SPEECH TEAM CRUISES TO WIN AT DIVISIONAL TOURNEY

Hungry Horse News

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team dominated the Western A divisional tournament Saturday in Ronan, racking up 206 points for the championship. Whitefish took second with 122.

The Wildcats had first-place finishes from Laney Conger and Maggie McKeon in public forum debate; Jordyn King in dramatic interpretation; Ava Chisholm in humorous interpretation; and Jacob Hohman in informative.

The squad will travel to Corvallis Friday and Saturday for the state meet, where they’ll look to win their 13th straight title and 20th overall.

All 30 competitors qualified for state.

“These kids are at the school nearly every day after school practicing and working, and they give up virtually every weekend from November through January to compete in tournaments all across the state,” coach Tara Norick said. “I am proud to see all of our team make the cut to go on to state. They earned it.”

The squad won’t let off the gas. Even though it’s finals week at Columbia Falls, the practice schedule will be focused and intense before heading to Corvallis, Norick said.

Both Laurel and Whitefish are the teams to beat, she noted.

“We will continue to prepare, to practice, and to be focused on competing at the highest level. This will be the first time we go up against the competition from the Eastern Division, so we know this is not over yet,” Norick said.

Complete results:

Policy Debate:

2nd Shyane Williams and Danielle Schwalk

4th Calie Jo Johnson and Tre Finley

5th Ella Hutcheson and Ian McKenzie

Public Forum Debate:

1st Laney Conger and Maggie McKeon

2nd Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright

8th Lara Erickson and Jesse Rusche

LD Debate:

5th Gabby Merrell

6th Chloe Coberley

11th JJ Boles

Impromptu:

2nd Ava Chisholm

4th Madeline Jarvis

12th Paige Moriarty

Extemporaneous:

3rd Noah Golan

5th Sam Lovering

6th Madeline Jarvis

Humorous Interpretation:

1st Ava Chisholm

3rd Danielle Rosenbaum

7th Jacob Hohman

Dramatic Interpretation:

1st Jordyn King

5th Lizzy Olsen

7th Ave’ McDonald

Memorized Public Address:

2nd Emmalee Hellen

3rd Emma Erickson

4th Jordyn King

Informative:

1st Jacob Hohman

7th Kayla McDowall

11th Kennedy Payne

Oratory:

2nd Paige Moriarty

6th Haileigh Bayee

7th Danielle Rosenbaum

Whitefish and Columbia Falls, which compete in the A division, competed at a meet in Polson. Whitefish took first. Columbia Falls took second and the hosting Polson Pirates took third place. Columbia Falls also sent debate teams to the meet in Missoula to compete against other AA teams in the weeks leading up to their state tournament.

Below are the area competitors that placed in the Garden City Invitational in Missoula:

Policy Debate – 3. Mercedes Altman Rebich and Ashlyn Cleveland, Glacier; 6. Emma Trunkle and Jon Sorenson, Glacier

Lincoln-Douglas Debate – 3. Sierra Dilworth, Flathead; 4. Izy Lyon, Glacier; 6. Annabelle Pukas, Flathead

Public Forum Debate – 1. Millie Espeseth and Keegan Siebenaler, Glacier; 4. Emmett Van Allen and Jenna McCrorie, Glacier; 5. Hannah Mriss and Lilly Briney, Flathead; 6. Laney Conger and Maggia McKeon, Columbia Falls; 7. Hallie Nikunen and Kaitlyn Carter, Glacier

Legislative Debate – 1. Abigail Roston, Glacier; 4. Melissa Roybal, Flathead; 5. Nick Brester, Glacier

Extemporaneous Speaking – 1. Noah Love, Flathead; 2. Trevor Woodward, Glacier; 6. Brenden Anderson, Glacier

Impromptu Speaking – 2. Trever Woodward, Glacier; 3. Brenden Anderson, Glacier; 4. Brooklyn Lamers, Glacier; 5. Sienna Riley, Flathead; 6. Reed Miller, Flathead

Duo Interpretation – 1. Drew Lorenc and Zach Hill, Glacier; 2. Kenzie White and Kedryn McElderry, Glacier; 6. Matthew Glimm and Simon Hill, Glacier; 7. Annie Jones and Hunter Driear, Flathead

Humurous Interpretation – 3. Drew Lorenc, Glacier; 4. Simon Hill, Glacier

Dramatic Interpretation – 1. Delaney Wilson, Glacier; 2. Matthew Knuffke, Glacier; 7. Alix Major, Flathead; 8. Korbyn Howe, Flathead

Memorized Public Address – 2. Matthew Knuffke, Glacier; 4. Anna Christensen, Flathead; 5. Taylor Jakeway, Flathead; 6. Maggie Rudbach, Glacier; 7. Riley Jochim, Flathead

Original Oratory – 1. Aidan Fritz, Glacier; 3. Galvin Ness, Glacier; 7. Emma Thompson, Flathead

Informative Speaking – 3. Delaney Wilson, Glacier; 8. Galvin Ness, Glacier

Program Oral Interpretation – 2. Sierra Riley, Glacier

Here are the area finishers from the Piratepalooza Invitational held in Polson:

Impromptu Speaking – 1. Madeline Jarvis, Columbia Falls

Extemporaneous Speaking – 4. Abigail Bowden, Whitefish; 5. Madeline Jarvis, Columbia Falls; 6. Noah Golan, Columbia Falls

Humorous Interpretation – 3. Danielle Rosenbaum, Columbia Falls; 4. Jacob Hohman, Columbia Falls; 5. Logan Mercer, Whitefish; 7. Danika Tintzman, Whitefish; 8. Jasmine Reese, Whitefish

Memorized Public Address – 1. Jordyn King, Columbia Falls; 2. Grace Benkelman, Whitefish; 3. Emmalee Hellen, Columbia Falls; 4. Emma Erickson, Columbia Falls; 7. Aidan Reed, Whitefish

Dramatic Interpretation – 1. Lucy Schindler, Whitefish; 3. Lizzy Olsen, Columbia Falls; 4. Ella Shaw, Whitefish; 5. Naya Brigette, Whitefish; 6. Ave’ McDonald, Columbia Falls

Informative Speaking – 1. Jacob Hohman, Columbia Falls; 5. Regan Tintzman, Whitefish

Original Oratory – 2. Paige Moriarty, Columbia Falls; 5. Haileigh Bayee, Columbia Falls; 8. Libby Goldhirsch, Whitefish

Policy Debate – 1. Dani Mayeaux and Ali Hirsch, Whitefish; 2. Abby Lowry and Ian Caltabiano, Whitefish; 6. Douglas Mercer and Ian Lacey, Whitefish

Public Forum Debate – 1. Seth Carmichael and Zoe Dugan, Whitefish; 3. Mary Hooks and Hayden Brandt, Whitefish

Lincoln-Douglas Debate – 6. Lilly Butts, Whitefish

The following are the area finishers from the Columbia Falls Invitational:

Policy Debate: 1. Shyane Williams and Danielle Schwalk, Columbia Falls; 4. Ella Hutcheson and Ian McKenzie, Columbia Falls; 6. Calie Jo Johnson and Tre Finley, Columbia Falls

Public Forum Debate: 1. Laney Conger and Maggie McKeon, Columbia Falls; 3. Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright, Columbia Falls; 4. Ethan Tanko and Ryan Vosen, Flathead; 7. Lilly Briney and Hannah Mriss, Flathead

Lincoln-Douglas Debate: 1. Sierra Wilworth, Flathead; 2. Eva Bruce, Flathead; 5. Annabelle Pukas, Flathead; 6. Chloe Coberley, Columbia Falls; 7. Alan Taylor, Flathead

Legislative Debate: 1. Kianna Storm, Flathead; 2. Jacob Beaudoin, Flathead; 5. Abe Otto, Flathead

Impromptu Speaking: 1. Ava Chisholm, Columbia Falls; 3. Sienna Riley, Flathead; 5. Madeline Jarvis, Columbia Falls; 6. Reed Miller, Flathead

Extemporaneous Speaking: 3. Scott O’Donnell, Flathead; 5. Noah Golan, Columbia Falls; 7. Reed Miller, Flathead

Humorous Oral Interpretation: 1. Ava Chisholm, Columbia Falls; 3. Jacob Hohman, Columbia Falls; 5. Danielle Rosenbaum, Columbia Falls

Humorous Oral Interpretation (AA): 4. Annie Jones, Flathead; 5. Toby Diegel, Flathead; 6. Connor Bullins, Flathead

Dramatic Interpretation: 4. Ave’ McDonald, Columbia Falls; 5. Jordyn King, Columbia Falls

Dramatic Interpretation (AA): 2. Moriah Schutt, Flathead; 3. Korbyn Howe, Flathead; 4. Alix Major, Flathead; 6. Morgan Lawson-Sanderlin, Flathead

Memorized Public Address: 1. Riley Jochim, Flathead; 2. Emma Erickson, Columbia Falls; 3. Emmalee Hellen, Columbia Falls; 4. Jordyn King, Columbia Falls; 5. Tayler Jakeway, Flathead; 6. Anna Christensen, Flathead

Informative Speaking: 2. Bohdi Hollman, Flathead; 3. Kennedy Payne, Columbia Falls; 6. Jacon Hohman, Columbia Falls

Original Oratory: 1. Carson Robison, Flathead; 6. Haileigh Bayee, Columbia Falls

Duo Interpretation: 2. Annie Jones and Hunter Driear, Flathead; 3. Conrad Hedinger and Alex Coulter, Flathead; 4. Hannah Greene and Marisal Jennings, Flathead

COLUMBIA FALLS SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM NEEDS VOLUNTEERS FOR HOME MEET

Hungry Horse News

GLACIER, WHITEFISH WIN KALISPELL SPEECH AND DEBATE MEET

Daily Inter Lake

Glacier High School took the top honors in a two-day Kalispell Speech and Debate tournament over the weekend, beating Flathead High School 224-191. The tournament featured teams from all over western Montana and one team from Pasco, Washington.

Glacier has had the edge over Flathead in the Kalispell tournament for the past four years, but this competition was much closer than most. It wasn’t decided until the final rounds, when Glacier had winners in eight of the fifteen events. Flathead had five first-place finishers and Whitefish High School and Sentinel High School in Missoula each won an event.

Whitefish as a team got first place in the ABC division, with only a slight edge over Loyola Sacred Heart High School in Missoula and about 40 points in front of Columbia Falls.

Below is the complete list of top finishers from the area:

Varsity Policy Debate – 1. Zach Ade and Ian Caltabiano, Whitefish; 2. Ashlyn Cleveland and Mercedes Altman, Glacier; 5. Harrison Rennie and Malea Bauer, Glacier; 6. Emma Trunkle and Jon Sorenson, Glacier; 7. Danielle Schwalk and Shyane Williams, Columbia Falls

Novice Policy Debate – 1. Simon Roston and Joe Schlegel, Glacier; 2. Dani Mayeauz and Ali Hirsch, Whitefish; 4. Kate Smith and Katie Foster, Flathead; 5. Hannah Fellows and Emma Lovejoy, Glacier

Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate – 1. Eva Bruce, Flathead; 2. Dawson Lemay, Flathead; 4. Alan Taylor, Flathead; 7. Chloe Coberley, Columbia Falls; 8. Emily Woods, Glacier

Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate – 1. Sierra Dilworth, Flathead; 2. Annabelle Pukas, Flathead; 4. Izy Lyon, Glacier; 6. Isaac Schroeder, Glacier; 8. Chris Oberling, Glacier

Public Forum Debate – 1. Hallie Nikunen and Kaite Carter, Glacier; 2. Zoe Dugan and Seth Carmichael, Whitefish; 3. Keegan Siebenaler and Millie Espeseth, Glacier; 8. Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright, Columbia Falls

Legislative Debate – 2. Abigail Roston, Glacier; 4. Nick Brester, Glacier; 5. Melissa Roybal, Flathead; 8. Jacob Beaudoin, Flathead

Extemporaneous Speaking – 1. Noah Love, Flathead; 3. Reed Miller, Flathead

Impromptu Speaking – 1. Noah Love, Flathead; 2. Reed Miller, Flathead; 3. Sienna Riley, Flathead; 4. Brenden Anderson, Glacier; 5. Ava Chisholm, Columbia Falls; 7. Scott O’Donnell, Flathead; 8. Brooklyn Lamers, Glacier

Duo Interpretation – 1. Drew Lorence and Zach Hill, Glacier; 2. Kenzie White and Kedryn McElderry, Glacier; 5. Tanis Hadwin and Jonah Love, Flathead; 6. Simon Hill and Matt Grimm, Glacier; 8. Hannah Greene and Marisal Jennings, Flathead

Humurous Interpretation – 1. Drew Lorenc, Glacier; 2. Annie Jones, Flathead; 4. Simon Hill, Glacier; 6. Danika Tintzman, Whitefish

Dramatic Interpretation – 1. Delaney Wilson, Glacier; 5. Brooklyn Lamers, Glacier; 6. Jez Schussler, Glacier; 7. Lucy Schindler, Whitefish; 8. Moriah Schutt, Flathead

Memorized Public Address – 1. Matt Knuffke, Glacier; 2. Taylor Jakeway, Flathead; 3. Aidan Fritz, Glacier; 4. Riley Jochim, Flathead; 5. Tanis Hadwin, Flathead; 7. Emma Erickson, Columbia Falls; 8. Julia Wynne, Flathead

Original Oratory – 1. Aidan Fritz, Glacier; 2. Carson Robison, Flathead; 4. Emma Thompson, Flathead; 5. Rebecca Vance, Flathead; 6. Galvin Ness, Glacier; 7. Joselyn Jolly, Glacier; 8. Paige Moriarty, Columbia Falls

Informatory Speaking – 1. Julia Wynne, Flathead; 2. Sienna Riley, Flathead; 3. Anya Young, Bigfork; 4. Galvin Ness, Glacier; 6. Delaney Wilson, Glacier; 7. Isabelle Thomas, Glacier; 8. Regan TIntzman, Whitefish

Program Oral Interpretation – 1. Sierra Riley, Glacier; 3. Joel Stewart, Glacier; 6. Aria Scovel, Flathead; 7. Moriah Schutt, Flathead; 8. Amanda Wiersma, Glacier

WILDCAT SPEECH AND DEBATE TAKES FIRST AT LOYOLA TOURNEY IN MISSOULA

November 22, 2017 at 8:41 am | Hungry Horse News

A split Columbia Falls Speech and Debate team won the Loyola Invitational Saturday and took second at Browning with a limited squad.

At the Loyola Sacred Heart Invitational in Missoula, Columbia Falls went head-to-head against 18 Class A, AA and B schools from around the region. Racking up points across every event — seven individual speech and three debate categories — the Wildcats scored 155 total team points to easily capture the Class A trophy for the meet. Stevensville came in second in the Class A competition, with 41 total points, with Frenchtown earning 30 points for third.

A small group of 12 Wildcats — most of the freshman members of the team — brought their best game up against local rival Whitefish and a group of 15 other regional teams at the Browning Invitational. Although Whitefish — with its full team competing — captured the first place trophy, Columbia Falls’ small contingent took a solid second and captured places in several individual events.

“We decided to split the team so that everyone could participate in a competition over the weekend,” said coach Tara Norick. “We wanted to sample the competition from multiple schools as we build our program to the state tournament at the end of January in Corvallis. This was a great chance for many of the freshman members of our team to shine.”

In Browning, freshman Emmalee Hellen blazed to a first place finish in memorized public address — a 7-10 minute memorized speech highlighting a famous speech. In humorous interpretation, where speakers read a humorous work of literature in a dramatic (and hopefully hilarious) fashion, Ave’ McDonald captured third place. Rounding out the freshman powerhouse, public forum debate team Lara Erickson and Jesse Rusche argued their way into the finals round against a senior Whitefish team and captured second place in the match up. In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Sophomre JJ Boles secured a solid fifth place slot.

At Loyola, competitors racked up points in every event, with firsts in several categories. Senior Ava Chisholm was the top speaker in dramatic interpretation, Jacob Hohman was first in humorous interpretation, and Jordyn King took second in MPA. Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright took first in public forum debate.

“Our students were focused on the competition and are continuing to improve. We are looking forward to the Class A competition after Thanksgiving in Whitefish Dec. 2, where we will compete head-to-head against Whitefish,” Norick said.

Loyola Individual results:

Policy Debate:

3rd Ella Hutcheson and Ian McKenzie

4th Shyane Williams and Danielle Schwalk

5th Calie Jo Johnson and Tre Finley

Public Forum Debate:

1st Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright

2nd Laney Conger and Maggie McKeon

LD Debate:

6th Gabby Merrell

10th Chloe Coberley

Impromptu:

5th Madeline Jarvis

6th Ava Chisholm

Extemporaneous:

5th Noah Golan

7th Sam Lovering

Humorous Oral Interpretation

1st Jacob Hohman

3rd Danielle Rosenbaum

Dramatic Interpretation:

1st Ava Chisholm

4th Jacob Hohman

5th Jordyn King

Memorized Public Address

2nd Jordyn King

Oratory

4th Danielle Rosenbaum

8th Kennedy Payne

Informative

4th Danielle Rosenbaum

8th Kennedy Payne

Sweeps

1st Columbia Falls 155

2nd Stevensville 41

Browning Individual results:

Public Forum Debate:

2nd Lara Erickson and Jesse Rusche

LD Debate:

5th JJ Boles

Humorous Oral Interpretation

3rd Ave’ McDonald

Memorized Public Address

1st Emmalee Hellen

Sweeps

1st Whitefish 145

2nd Columbia Falls 43

SPEECH TEAM DOES WELL AGAINST AAS IN BOZEMAN

November 15, 2017 at 9:21 am | Hungry Horse News

Columbia Falls traveled to Bozeman High School for the biggest speech and debate tournament of the season. More than 800 competitors from all over the state - most from Class AA schools, came for an intense two-day matchup of words and wills.

The Wildcats brought 26 competitors to the meet, with several key seniors still missing in this third tournament of the season, going head-to-head against AA teams with nearly 100 members. Columbia Falls demonstrated their solid skills and had speakers and debaters advance to finals rounds in every event.

Although total team sweeps are battled out by class, individual competitions are mixed, so Wildcat speakers were matched up against top orators from the big schools. The team demonstrated once again the breadth of talent on the squad with placings in multiple events. Columbia Falls achieved 37.5 tournament points to place first in the Class ABC sweeps competition, with Whitefish garnering 11 points to take second.

“We are amazed with our team this season. We came into this tournament with very simple expectations: Observe, learn, practice. We really did not feel we would be progressing into out-rounds in multiple events. I am intensely proud of these kids and the extent of talent we are seeing this year,” Columbia Falls coach Tara Norick said.

Speech was led by Seniors Jordyn King taking fifth in memorized public address and Lizzy Olsen taking eighth in dramatic interpretation. Wildcat debaters scored points in all three debate events. Juniors Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright fought an extensive field of AA public form teams to take eighth out of 30 competitors. Freshmen Tre Finley and Callie Jo Johnson advanced to octa-finals in novice policy debate to finish in the top 16 and Ella Hutcheson and Ian McKenzie also finished in the top 16 for varsity policy debate.

In varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate, senior Gabrielle Merrill argued her way to a sixth place finish among 45 competitors in the varsity competition, and junior JJ Boles placed 16th in that category. Policy team debaters Danielle Schwalk and Shyane Williams pushed all the way to the semi-final round to place third behind two Bozeman top teams.

“This tournament really helped us demonstrate our strengths across multiple events,” Norick said. “And it allowed us to identify some areas to work on, of course. Next week we return to the Class A circuit with a trip to Loyola Sacred Heart in Missoula. Loyola has a strong team, and we are looking forward to the competition.”

Individual Results:

Varsity Policy Debate

3rd Shyane Williams & Danielle Schwalk

16th Ella Hutcheson & Ian McKenzie

Novice Policy Debate

12th Calie Jo Johnson & Tre Finley

Varsity LD Debate

6th Gabby Merrell

16th JJ Boles

PF Debate

8th Cassidy Norick & Kelsey Wright

MPA

5th Jordyn King

10th Emmalee Hellen

Dramatic Interp

8th Lizzy Olsen

Humorous Interp

9th Danielle Rosenbaum

14th Jacob Hohman

Informative

9th Jacob Hohman

Extemp

12th Noah Golan

WILDCAT SPEECH, DEBATE TEAM ROCKS IT IN FIRST TOURNEY

C/KATS WIN STATE AGAIN. 12TH IN A ROW. CORVALLIS DRAMA CHAMPS AGAIN

.DRAMA:3rd.Laurel, 2nd.Belgrade,1st.Covallis

Speech/Debate:3rd.Laurel,2nd.Whiefish, 1st.ColFalls

C.F. slips past Whitefish in divisional speech

         Posted: Monday, January 25, 2016 11:30 am

Daily Inter Lake | 0 comments

Whitefish High School Speech and Debate results from yesterday's tournament in Stevensville.

Led by a near perfect tournament by senior Abbie Belcher (Champion in extemporaneous and impromptu speaking), a full-team effort made our first sweepstakes victory of this season possible. Sam Benkelman, 2-time State Champion in Expository, was named tournament champion in Original Oratory, a new event for him. The students have dedicated themselves fully to being prepared and well-practiced since the first of October, and the pay-off was obvious on Saturday against several of the top teams in the state, including last year's runner up state champions, Belgrade and last year's 3rd place team, Hamilton. Teams are not yet at full-strength due to fall sport participation, so we are well-aware the the work is just beginning and look forward to the exciting season ahead.

WHITEFISH TOP 'A' TEAM AT KALISPELL INVITE

Posted: Saturday, October 31, 2015 9:34 pm | Updated: 9:52 pm, Sat Oct 31, 2015.

Daily Inter Lake | 0 comments

Speech and debate tops at Kalispell tourney

By HEIDI DESCH Whitefish Pilot

Posted: Wednesday, December 2, 2015 12:15 am

By HEIDI DESCH Whitefish Pilot

Whitefish speech and debate took the top spot among Class A, B and C schools in a close win Nov. 21 at the Kalispell tournament.

In sweepstakes points, Whitefish was first with 61.5 points, followed by Columbia Falls at 48.5 and Loyola in third with 46.5.

“Whitefish had a heavy presence of seniors on the stage in Kalispell,” coach Sara Mueller said. “These students have worked across most of their four years to build the team to its current state. We rely on the for both their competitive strength, but also their emotional leadership.”

The team was lead in Kalispell by two first place finishes, from Dakota Henson in novice Lincoln-Douglas debate and Zache Ade in memorized public address.

Mueller said Henson, a senior and newcomer to the team, endured eight rounds over two days of competition to win in debate. She noted that Ade continues a solid run with his third win of the season in memorized public address.

“This team puts in so much effort every practice,” she said. “Much of this stems from encouragement from this core group of seniors.”

The Bulldogs hold their home tournament Saturday.

Individual results:

Novice Lincoln-Douglas debate: 1. Dakota Henson

Novice policy debate: 5. Mirielle Kruger and Ian Caltabiano

Impromptu: 2. Abbie Belcher

Extemporaneous: 2. Abbie Belcher

Original oratory: 4. Sam Benkelman, 6. Hunter Cripe

Memorized public address: 1. Zach Ade, 4. Sam Benkelman