During the second weekend of February, Rocky’s Speech and Debate team spent three days competing at Idaho’s national qualifying tournament. Five Rocky students ended up qualifying in five separate events. Samantha Clark qualified in Original Oratory, Luci Dean qualified in US Extemp, Claudia Dunlop qualified in IN Extemp, Aleigh Holmes qualified in Senate Congress, and Mac Holmes qualified in Big Questions. A total of fifteen Rocky students competed at the tournament.

The National Speech and Debate Tournament is being held in Des Moines, Iowa, later this year between June 16 and June 21. The tournament hosts thousands of students per year and allows them to compete in their respective event over the course of multiple days. After several elimination rounds, the top six in each category will perform on the main stage in front of the rest of the competitors and be ranked one through six.

Samantha Clark (she/her, Freshman), who qualified in Original Oratory, is going to nationals for the first time. Original Oratory, also known as OO, is a speech event that allows students to inform an audience about an issue in society and either provide a solution for that topic, or persuade their audience to agree with their side. According to Clark, their speech is about “….Children in Single Parent Households and the experiences they face. It talks about how people talk to them, stereotypes that are being spread, and how those can damage a child’s experience growing up. The solution presented is a collection of ways that people can be confident with their voices and actually talk to these children, and stand against negative stereotypes,”

She is scared to compete at the tournament, stating “I am genuinely pretty scared of nationals. But I am also so so grateful for the opportunity. I am so proud of myself for this feat, and I am so grateful for my team helping me get there. Nationals is going to be a very unique experience and I hope to enjoy every second of it,”

Luci Dean (she/her, Sophomore), who qualified in US Extemporaneous Speaking, also known as US Extemp,  is going to nationals for the first time. US Extemp is a limited prep speech event that allots you 30 minutes to prep a seven minute memorized speech about a specific US political topic. Dean is both excited and scared to compete at the tournament, stating “I am so excited to compete at nationals! This has always been a big goal for me and achieving it was super gratifying. But, I’m also really scared, competing against the top two from every district in the nation will be a whole new challenge.”

Claudia Dunlop (she/her, Senior), who qualified in International Extemporaneous Speaking, also known as International Extemp,  is going to nationals for the first time. International Extemp is a limited prep speech event, meaning it is not a pre-written and memorized speech. In her own words, Dunlop explains the event as follows, “you go into a room and are given a choice between [three] random topics about international current events. Then, you choose one of the topics and have 30 minutes to research and prep a full seven-minute speech. Then, you go in and give a seven minute speech with no notes.”

Dunlop is extremely excited to compete at the tournament, stating, “I think that it’s going to be a really fun time, and even if I don’t do well, it will be an amazing learning experience to get to compete with people from all around the country.”

Aleigh Holmes (she/her, Junior), who qualified in Senate Congress, is going to nationals for the second time. Senate Congress is a debate event, and in Aleigh Holmes’ own words, “It is a mock congress in which you have a set ‘docket’ or list of bills that you debate on and either try and pass or fail. Your whole goal is to pick a side and defend it under the guise of the constitution.”

Aleigh Holmes is super excited to compete, saying “I am super excited for nationals in Des Moines, Iowa! I qualified with [four] other teammates including my brother so it will be a lot of fun to go with all of them. I’m kind of nervous but I’m also trying not to put a lot of stress on myself because it’s not my main event. I did qualify to nats last year so I’m just excited to be in that type of environment again.”

Mac Holmes (he/him, Sophomore), who qualified in Big Questions, is going to nationals for the first time. Big Questions, commonly referred to as BQ, is a debate event that Mac Holmes explains as “debating whether a statement is true or false. You can use moral, statistical, or logical reasoning, which makes it unique. You must present your case/ ideas, argue your opponent’s case/ideas, and then keep refuting, defending your own case. It is a lot of fun and few people take it seriously.”  

Mac Holmes is excited to compete at the national tournament, stating “I am only excited to compete at nationals. My event is super fun which makes me not feel scared at all. I am looking forward to my fun outfits and spending time with my team at nationals.”

Overall, Rocky Speech and Debate had a successful tournament with eleven separate people breaking, or advancing, to at least one elimination round. These students consisted of; Samantha Clark, Luci Dean, Claudia Dunlop, Aleigh Holmes, Mac Holmes, Olivia Lanzara, Hafsah Muhhamad, Parker Myler, Myah Oswald, Rosie Pines, and Jamie Tuccinaardi. The alternates, or the people who finished third or fourth in their finals round and will go to nationals if the first and second of that event cannot, will not be released until March 15. 

If you would like to see a more detailed list of who broke and in what category, a table is provided below.