Debaters Dylan Rothermel and Mark Buchheit work their way through San Francisco International Airport on their way to the Pat Kennedy Round Robin at the University of the Pacific. Truman Forensics Students Criss-Cross the Nation, Capture More Honors by Truman Forensics Students and Staff Members of the Truman Forensic Union added seven new honors to this year's growing list the past two weekends, taking home awards at three separate tournaments in Illinois and California. Debaters from the squad took some six awards at the Pat Kennedy Memorial Round Robin and the Paul Winters Invitational, both hosted by the University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA), November 9-11. Senior Dylan Rothermel (Homewood, IL) and sophomore Mark Buchheit (Carthage, MO) reached the semifinals of the invitation-only Round Robin tournament on November 9th, before losing to a team from Rice University--the eventual champions. Only 12 teams from across the nation are invited to attend this tournament each year, and this is the third consecutive appearance the team has had in the tournament's elimination rounds. In the march to elimination rounds, Buchheit and Rothermel defeated several nationally-prominent teams including the team from the University of California-Berkeley. Additionally, all three attending Truman debate teams reached elimination rounds of the Paul Winters Invitational, on November 10-11. Freshmen Andrew Kindiger (Liberty, MO) and Barbara Gillard (Jackson, MO) reached the quarterfinals of the Junior Varsity division of the tournament, with Kindiger ranking as the top speaker in that division. In the Varsity division, Rothermel and Buchheit were joined by freshmen Sarah Backhaus (Liberty, MO) and Dylan Clark (Maryland Heights, MO) in the first elimination round--the double-octafinal round. Buchheit narrowly missed earning a speaker award in the Varsity division, placing 11th. Clark was also an octafinalist ("sweet sixteen") in Lincoln-Douglas debate. 42 colleges and universities from throughout the United States attended the tournament. Continuing the streak of freshman success, freshman Rebecca Tasetano (Liberty, MO) reached the final round of novice poetry interpretation at the Bradley University, LE Norton Invitational, November 4th. The team takes a well-earned break for the next few weeks, returning to competition the first weekend in December at Webster University's "Study Break" tournament. Truman Forensics is a program of the Department of Communication and is open to students from across campus, regardless of major. Students interested in the program should contact Kevin Minch, Director of Forensics, for more information or visit the team's website at http://forensics.truman.edu .
Sometimes the wait for the plane is just a little too long. Dylan Rothermel and Dylan Clark at Denver International Airport. |
Debaters Take Second, Freshmen Breakout at Early Forensics Competition By Truman Forensics Students and Staff 12 students from the Truman State University Forensic Union garnered a hefty stack of awards at the Nebraska Double-Up, co-hosted by Creighton University (Omaha, NE) and Concordia University (Seward, NE), October 19-21 in Omaha. Among the 12 honors the team brought home, Truman debaters were ranked second overall in the debate division of the tournament, outpacing debate performances by the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO), Drury University (Springfield, MO), William Jewell College (Liberty, MO), the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Suffolk University (Boston, MA), among others. The debate portion of the tournament was won by Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY), while the individual speaking events portion of the tournament was won by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In parliamentary debate competition, the team of senior economics major Dylan Rothermel (Homewood, IL) and sophomore history major Mark Buchheit (Carthage, MO) reached the semifinals of the open division before being defeated by last year's national runner-up team from Creighton University. Their compatriots, senior accounting major Sara Archer (Riverside, MO) and junior communication major Chris Girouard (Chesterfield, MO) reached the octafinals (or “sweet sixteen”) of the open division tournament. Parliamentary debaters engage topics of value and policy on a range of different topics, which change for each debate. Meanwhile, in Lincoln-Douglas debate competition, three Truman competitors reached elimination rounds. Freshman political science major Dylan Clark (Maryland Heights, MO) took second in the junior division of the tournament, losing in the final round to a competitor from Wisconsin's Carthage College after defeating competitors from Creighton and Missouri Southern State University. Freshman teammate and political science major, Sarah Backhaus (Liberty, MO), reached the octafinals of the open division of the tournament, while freshman political science major Barbara Gillard (Jackson, MO) reached the quarterfinals of the junior division. Girouard was ranked the 5 th -best speaker in the open division, followed by Buchheit, who was ranked 6 th . Clark was ranked the best speaker in the junior division, followed by Gillard in 5 th place. Students in Lincoln-Douglas debate argue about various aspects of foreign aid policy toward the Greater Horn of Africa for the duration of the 2007-2008 season.
Freshmen Sara Backhaus, Abi Richardson, and Liz Necka pose during a break in competition at the Nebraska Double-Up at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska. All of this was achieved, despite debating in the dark—literally—when the Creighton campus was plunged into darkness during a campus-wide power outage in late preliminary rounds. In individual speaking events, a young team garnered some of its first awards and earliest National Championship tournament qualifications. Freshman English major Andrew Kindiger (Liberty, MO) reached semifinals of extemporaneous speaking at the portion of the tournament hosted by Creighton University. Senior accounting major Sara Archer (Riverside, MO) took home sixth-place honors in extemporaneous speaking at the Concordia half of the tournament, qualifying for the National Forensic Association championships in April. She was joined by sophomore nursing major Jamie Menown (Kansas City, MO) who took fifth in Rhetorical Criticism and also garnered her first nationals qualification. Extemporaneous speakers deliver seven-minute speeches on questions related to current events and public policy, after a brief thirty-minute preparation period. Students in rhetorical criticism provide a ten-minute speech analyzing an artifact of public communication. Gillard, Clark, and Backhaus' placements in Lincoln-Douglas debate competition similarly qualify them for national competition in April. Associate Professor of Communication and Director of Forensics, Kevin Minch, observed: “This is the youngest forensics team Truman has put in the field in the last ten years, with a distinct majority of students in their very first semester of college, and in some cases little or no prior competitive experience in the events they practice.” He continued, “The fact that we're seeing this level of success among very young competitors gives us reason to be very hopeful about the competitive future of the program.” The tournament in Nebraska was the first weekend of a four-weekend tour that will take the team from Nebraska on to Kansas City, Peoria, Illinois, and Stockton, California, in rapid succession. The team will then break for Thanksgiving and resume competition in December. The Truman Forensic Union is a co-curricular program of the Department of Communication at Truman State University. It is supported by a combination of departmental funds, student fundraisers, and alumni contributions. For more information on the forensics program, please visit http://forensics.truman.edu . |
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Individual events competitors, Abigayle Richardson and Matt Dominguez prepare their duo interpretation for competition. NOVICE DEBATERS WIN CENTRAL STATES TOURNAMENT By Truman Forensics Students and Staff Freshman members of the Truman Forensic Union won the parliamentary debate novice division of the Central States Forensics Tournament, co-hosted by Metropolitan Community College-Longview and Truman on the Longview campus, October 26-28. Freshman Toby Hausner (Platte Woods, MO) and freshman Andrew Kindiger (Liberty, MO) captured the novice division championship after defeating a team from Longview in the final round, and a team from McKendree University (Lebanon, IL) in the semifinals. Hausner was ranked top-speaker in the division, followed by Kindiger in second. The Truman team of freshman William Franks (Albany, MO) and freshman Rebecca Tasetano (Liberty, MO) reached the semifinals before falling to the Longview team that would eventually face Hausner and Kindiger. This was the very first college debate tournament for Hausner, Franks, and Tasetano. In individual events competition, Kindiger placed 6 th in extemporaneous speaking, qualifying himself for the National Forensic Association championship tournament in individual events in April. Individual events competitors travel next to Bradley University's LE Norton Invitational, Saturday and Sunday, November 3-4, followed by debate team travel to the University of the Pacific the following weekend. For more information about Truman Forensics, visit our website at http://forensics.truman.edu |
