The Green River High School Speech and Debate team came home with a third-place finish.
The team traveled to Cheyenne to compete in the Cheyenne East tournament this past weekend. About 26 schools attended the tourney. Of those, 11 were from Wyoming and the rest were from Colorado. Cherry Creek and Kent-Denver schools from Colorado took first and second place at the tournament.
“We took third place, which is the best showing we have had at this very competitive and difficult tournament,” head coach Carina White said. “The team is exceptionally motivated; and I believe that we have a very successful season in front of us.”
Even though the Green River team is not used to settling for a third-place finish, they were happy with it.
“Colorado schools are exceptionally talented, many of them are in final rounds at nationals. They also begin their season much sooner than we do so they have much more practice in tournaments before we compete against them,” White said. “It was great to see how competitive our kids were with only one other varsity tournament under their belt before this tournament.”
One student that stood out was Jesse Lauze, who won Congress after taking first-place out of more than 115 competitors.
With this tournament done, the team is already focusing on the next one, which will take place in Powell on Jan 6-7.
The team has to get new debate resolutions together and will need to prepare cases for public forum debate and Lincoln Douglas debate. White said the team will then be using those new cases and resolutions during its first tournament back, which doesn’t give them much time to prepare with the holiday break.
“We aren’t making the kids practice formally over the break, so we will have several late nights the week we return before we head to Northwest College in Powell,” White said. “This is our first time attending this tournament and I am excited. I debated for NWC in college and it will be very nostalgic to return to that campus as a coach.”
White said the team is also looking forward to competing at this tournament because it will give them a chance to go up against schools from Montana.
“That will be a great growing experience for our debaters as they enter the bulk of our season,” White said.
Over the Christmas break, the team will try to meet at least one day to go over the work they need to have done, but White said with a lot of team members traveling there is no way the entire team can meet and it’s not a mandatory meeting.
After the break, the team will need to get back into the swing of things really quickly.
“We will practice intensely when we return from break and hope for a victory at this tournament,” White said. “I am unsure what to expect as we have never attended this tournament before.”
Cheyenne East Tournament
Super Congress: Jesse Lauze, first place, Patrick Marshal, fifth place, Matthew Pickering, Rachel Heisinger and Atlin Johnson and Allison Kloepper, finalists
Varsity duet: Parson Kropf and Garcia Robinson quarterfinalists, Kropf Patterson semifinalist
Varsity drama: Amy Grass, semifinalist
Oratory novice: Robyn Jauregui, fifth place
Novice extemporaneous: Alex Shafe, Rylan Bailey and Dallin Kurth, semifinalist
Novice humor: Will Allen, sixth place
Novice drama: Paula Lutterman, fifth place
Varsity cross examination debate: Atlin Johnson and Victoria Allen, third place
Varsity oratory: Victoria Allen, semifinalist
Varsity poetry: Elaine Comer, fifth place, Leslie Patterson, sixth place, Karlee Cutler and Leonna Grimes, semifinalists
Novice poetry: Kassi Jo Rasmussen, second place, Jared Harmon, third place
Varsity extemporaneous: Gregory Marchal, fourth place
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