Bobcat Speech and Debate shines as Quintanilla qualifies for Nationals

The Hot Springs County High School Speech and Debate Team impressed with an outstanding showing at the National Qualifying Wind River District Speech and Debate Tournament at Rock Springs High School on March 3-4.  

The tournament, delayed by weather conditions the week before, hosted 17 Wind River District schools of all Wyoming school classifications, and 400 students performed and debated with hopes set on National Qualification.

Bobcat Junior Julia Quintanilla will represent the Wind River NSDA District this June as they travel to Phoenix, Ariz.,  to compete against the best in the nation at the National Tournament. This is the tenth consecutive year and the twenty-first overall year the team has qualified students for the national meet.

Co-team captain and sole senior competitor Karina Lea had an outstanding showing in Informative Speaking at the tournament. Lea advanced to the final round and finished as the 1st alternate for National Qualification.  Her speech, "The Coquette Tempest," took first place in every preliminary round.

Co-team captain Quintanilla continued success in Humorous Interpretation with a hilarious piece called "The God of Cake" by Allie Brosh.  Quintanilla qualified for the National Tournament in Humor, but also broke into Duo finals and finished 3rd alternate with partner and sophomore Zoey Larson with another humorous selection, "Sunflower Street, Episode 4: Erma and Molly Get a Date" by Brian Denbo.  

Fellow Duo competitors, sophomore Brendan Butler and Junior Riley O'Brien also broke into finals and finished 4th alternate with their hilarious entry, "Black Fedora" by Ray Nesrem and Daniel Smedema. O'Brien also finished as 3rd alternate in Humorous Interpretation with her unhinged version of "Moonraker Madness" by Marissa Molchansky. Butler additionally finished 5th alternate in Big Questions debate.

Co-team captain and sophomore Rosalie Willson led the way with freshman Dean Bihr in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Willson ended as 7th alternate with a 2-2 record, while Bihr finished in the top twenty with the same record. Additionally, Bihr earned the honor of 2nd alternate in World Schools Debate.

Junior Ivey Goff added to the team success with a semifinal break and a 10th place finish in Humorous Interpretation with her adaptation of "Zootopia."  Fellow junior Delayni Custer, sophomore Ben Weaver, sophomore Kalebh Nelson, sophomore Kiesha Kraushaar, and junior Brison Steere were all competitive in their respective events as well and have a lot of positive feedback to build on for the Wyoming State Tournament this coming week.

Head Coach Lyle Wiley was bursting with pride for the young team.  "This team is full of heart and they don't ever give up," said Wiley. "It is a privilege to work with every one of our students, and they have all grown so much over the year," he added. Alyssa Brown, who coaches the team with Wiley, continued praises for the team when she said, "The students have amazed me this year with their determination and excitement for competition. They have worked so hard to get here and they all were rockstars at districts. I'm so excited to see the same energy and drive for success at our state tournament next weekend."

Wiley also brought Hot Springs County High School honors from the weekend. Wiley was selected as the recipient of the 2022-23 Wind River District Coach of the Year. This award, based on coach voting, recognizes the coach who demonstrates exemplary commitment and excellence to their team and the larger Speech and Debate community.  Coach Brown reflected, "Coach Wiley was recognized for his hard work, dedication to the Speech and Debate community, and his love and support for our team and all competitors and coaches. We are so proud of him and lucky to have him."

The 2023 Phoenix Nationals will be held June 11-16  Top competitors from across the country will gather to determine the national champion in each forensic event. 

The team next travels to Cheyenne this weekend for the Wyoming State Speech and Debate Tournament.