The Art of Argument: Speech and Debate in Salem

Juab crushes it at the Skyhawk Smackdown!

Speech and Debate has a busy tournament schedule this year. The team has eight different tournaments throughout the year. The team debated at the Skyhawk Smackdown in Salem Hills last weekend.

While at the tournament, six different people from the team placed. Kristen Coray got 4th in varsity informative, Dani Coray placed 2nd in novice informative, Rory Allred got 1st in varsity dramatic interp, while Macee Ercanbrack got 2nd. Anna Peterson got 1st in novice spar, and finally Macee Ercanbrack and Lilli Andrus got 5th in novice public forum.

Two day tournaments are very busy for the team. Often they will split the tournament so one day will be speech-oriented and the other day will revolve around the debates. 

Each person on the team typically does one or two speeches and a debate per tournament. There are tons of different speeches and debates, so you are sure to find something you love if you join the team! 

Senior Jayme Cragun said that her favorite speech is oratory because “it’s original. It’s something you write yourself about a topic you’re really passionate about. I love oratory because it gives you a glimpse into other people’s lives and what’s really important to them.”

Junior Macee Ercanbrack competes in two speeches, both interp and impromptu. She loves these speeches because “it lets me be creative and connect with all different types of people.” Macee said that speech and debate has even given her the opportunity to get to be friends with people from other schools.

Another senior on the team, Alvin Yuan, said that he picked informative speaking “because I am able to talk about a topic that I think the general public should know and think about.” Alvin’s informative speech is on “A person named Henrietta Lacks. She possessed immortal cells that could infinitely reproduce and pioneered modern-day medical technology and ethics in health care.” To research his topic, Alvin read Henrietta’s biography written by Rebecca Skloot.

However, that’s only half the story. There are several kinds of debates that team members love. Just like with speeches, they are all unique and offer something for everyone.

Macee Ercanbrack competes in public forum. Macee likes public forum because “it focuses on logic and evidence, and that makes the most sense to me.”

Kenzee Slater, a senior, says that she loves Congress because she gets to debate bills that will positively affect our country.

Jayme Cragun is the LD debate captain. LD, otherwise known as the Lincoln Douglas debate, is Jayme’s favorite debate because of “the focus on morals. Evidence is important, but it all comes down to who has better feelings.”

Overall, speech and debate offer something for everyone. With a very active tournament schedule, there is always something to do. Not only will speech and debate keep you busy, there is a different speech and debate for everyone. You will definitely find something that piques your interest if you join speech and debate.