WHS Speech and debate off to a good start

Worland High School’s Speech and Debate team has competed in two meets already this year, and according to Coach Rick Dorn they have shown promise at both.

Dorn is joined again this season by Assistant Coach Emily Myers.

He said, “In the early season, we’re not too worried about results. We want kids to get familiar with their material; finding new pieces that work, start learning them, cutting them as needed, all that stuff. Later in the season is when it counts.”

Despite his words, his team has gone ahead and gotten results already, too.

The season started with a novice tournament in Cody on Nov. 18, where new members were introduced to competition. Dorn said, “It was a tiny little meet, but our novice kids did a really nice job. I had one mom coming to pick up her kid, and I said, ‘Hey, make sure she shows you her medal.’ She looked stunned and said, ‘she got a medal already?’”

Worland took first place overall. Individual results for the Cody Novice meet are as follows:

Humor – Ava Decker, fourth place; Cailyn Kysar, third place; Addison Seghetti, first place.

Oratory – Megan Dobbs, third place.

Extemporaneous Debate – Natalie Bishop, fourth place; Eddie Martinson, third place.

Informative Debate – Alayna Moore, second place.

Duo Interpretation – Kaela Nelson and Milo Grzybowski, second place.

Lincoln Douglas Debate – Alayna Moore, first place.

Public Forum Debate – Abbie Scallions and Barret Rice, second place.

The following weekend, the team had their first varsity meet in Star Valley on Nov. 25. With all five 3A schools in attendance, Worland took first place in the small schools (less than 500 students) category.

Individual results are as follows:

Cross Examination Debate – Jackson Richard and Luis Matamoros, third place; Lucy Martinson and Tessa Barnhill, second place; Daisy Weaver and Nora Reid, first place.

Public Forum Debate – Abbie Scallions and Barret Rice, fourth place.

Dramatic Interpretation – Tori Colwell, fourth place.

Duo Interpretation – Tori Colwell and Kaydence Mosley, fourth place; Kaela Nelson and Milo Grzybowski, third place; Sam Paxton and Megan Dobbs, first place.

Humor – Magdalene Byers, fourth place; Kaydence Mosley, second place.

Oratory – Tessa Barnhill, fourth place; Tailynn Logan, third place and Justice Nelson, first place.

Impromptu – Justice Nelson, fourth place.

Poetry – Lucy Martinson, second place.

Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate – Alayna Moore, third place.

Novice Humor – Cailyn Kysar, fourth place; Ava Decker, third place and Addison Seghetti, second place.

Novice Impromptu – Kevyn Bostrom, first place.

Novice Oratory – Kevyn Bostrom, fourth place; Alayna Moore, second place.

Dorn noted that his team was able to best both Jackson and Green River, two teams that were on their third varsity meet.

The team’s next meet will be in Green River on Nov. 9. The next home meet will be the Worlando Beach Tournament on Jan. 19 and 20. Dorn said that he will be needing more judges, and if you’d like to volunteer you can contact Worland High School.