Speakers place third at Kalispell tourney

Judges needed for Whitefish Invitational on Dec. 6

More than 500 students from 26 schools plied their talents at the Kalispell Invitational speech and debate tournament on Nov. 21-22.

Whitefish finished third among ABC class schools. Loyola came in first with perennial rival Columbia Falls taking second. In Class A, the Bulldogs finished second place.

Whitefish sophomore Jenni Vail, competing in only her second tournament, made the finals, finishing eighth overall in serious oral interpretation. Vail was the only non-AA class finalist in this event.

In serious oral interpretation, a contestant chooses a cutting from a serious play or other work of literature then memorizes and performs it. The student recreates the scene using appropriate gestures and voices with a 10-minute time limit.

Other Whitefish speakers who made strong showings were the team of senior Caitlin Caltabiano and junior Joe Mazur, who finished fourth in policy debate, and the team of Patrick Meehan and Matt Danczyk, both juniors, who placed seventh.

Sophomore Jessie Mazur made the semifinals in original oratory, while junior Tyler Schiff was also a semifinalist in memorized public address.

Next up for the Bulldogs is the Whitefish Invitational on Dec. 6. The meet will include more than 225 speech-and-debate participants and 135 drama participants from high schools across Western Montana. The Bulldogs will be defending their first-place finish of last year.

The Whitefish Invitational needs judges. Judging is a great way to see a speech-and-debate competition firsthand and watch the talented students from throughout Montana go head-to-head in their events.

Detailed explanation of how to judge the various events will be provided, so no experience is required. Coach Pat McLaughlin will hold workshops at the high school library for those who would like to learn more — Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. for non-debate events and drama and Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. for debate and LD judges.

For more information, contact McLaughlin at 862-4559.