Speech and Debate Cats close season with second at state

The Hot Springs County High School Speech and Debate Team brought their successful season to an end with a runner-up finish at the Wyoming Speech and Debate Tournament at Cheyenne East High School on March 9th, 10th, and 11th.  The event saw 32 schools in attendance with over 425 individual entries.

In a hard-fought tournament, nine Bobcats earned All-State designation, and three were crowned 1A/2A State Champions in individual events.

Co-team captain Karina Lea finished an exceptional senior season, earning All-State honors in two events and capturing a 1A/2A individual State Champion title with her heartfelt Poetic Interpretation performance.  Her Informative Speech presentation continued to impress audiences and ranked second in 1A/2A.

Junior Riley O’Brien collected All-State honors and was named 1A/2A individual State Champion in Humorous Interpretation. “If you weren’t uncomfortable watching my piece, I wasn’t doing it right,” said O’Brien about their riotous humor piece.

Freshman Dean Bihr saved his most impressive debate performance of the season for the big tournament, finishing with a 5-2 record and earning All-State distinction and the title of 1A/2A Lincoln-Douglas Debate State Champion.  Bihr’s first State competition was memorable for many reasons.  Bihr reflected on the successes of the season crediting his “amazing coaches and peers” but he thought the “best part of the season was the people [he] met and the friendships [he] formed.”

Bihr was joined by sophomore Rosalie Willson who earned All-State honors for the second consecutive year in LD Debate.  Co-team captain Willson finished second in 1A/2A in LD and was also recognized for writing the best legislation in her preliminary chamber in Congressional Debate.

Co-team captain and junior Chris Bapst also received All-State recognition when he placed second in 1A/2A Congressional Debate.  Junior Julia Quintanilla, who also captains the team, captured All-State honors in Duo Interpretation along with partner and sophomore Zoey Larson. Quintanilla, a National Qualifier in Humor this season, also earned All-State honors last season.

Sophomore Brendan Butler and Junior Ivey Goff were also honored with All-State distinction.  Butler’s Original Oratory performance finished third in 1A/2A, while Goff brought down the house with her Humorous Interpretation piece, capturing second in 1A/2A.  

Junior Delayni Custer, sophomore Ben Weaver, sophomore Kalebh Nelson, and sophomore Kiesha Kraushaar also helped the team by performing well in all of their respective events.

Head Coach Lyle Wiley praised the young Bobcat squad. “I couldn’t be more proud of this group of students,” said Wiley who emphasized all of the growth he witnessed from the team. “They worked so hard and learned so much over the course of the season,” he added, “and the future of this team is looking so very bright. I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with these amazing students.” 

Lea, when asked about their overall experience with Speech and Debate, reflected, “Looking back on my progress from freshman year to now, I can’t help but think of the little kid who used to hide in the bathroom before giving presentations in class. I think that kid would be ecstatic to see who I am now, and I couldn’t have done any of it without this team.”  Lea added, “They really mean the world to me, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.” 

Although the Bobcat’s competitive season now concludes with this tournament, the team looks forward to competing in the Last Chance Qualifier and the National Speech and Tournament this June in Phoenix, Arizona.