Bobcat speech and debate captures first at Green River

The Hot Springs Speech and Debate Team took home the 1A/2A first place trophy at the Evergreen River Classic Speech and Debate Tournament held at Green River High School on December 8-9, 2023. Coached by Lyle Wiley, Alyssa Brown, Grace Martin, Riley Jeffs, and Jean-Luc Willson, the Bobcats brought 18 varsity and novice students to compete in the tournament that hosted 12 schools and nearly 300 entries. 

In the varsity division, senior Chris Bapst broke into the Super Congress and finished in tenth place in a large and competitive field.  Junior Benjamin Weaver also competed admirably in Congress, ending in fifteenth place. 

Bapst and junior Brendon Butler advanced to the final round of Duo Interpretation, finishing sixth overall. This success in Duo was mirrored by seniors Ivey Goff and Brison Steere who took eighth place, and senior Julia Quintanilla and junior Zoey Larson who finished tenth.

Quintanilla also struck gold in Poetry Interpretation with a break to the final round and impressive third place finish. Larson and junior Rosalie Willson used their oration skills to place in the top fifteen of Informative Speaking.  Junior Kiesha Kraushaar landed some laughs, placing twelfth in Humorous Interpretation. Senior Delayni Custer ended in eleventh place with her outstanding Original Oratory. 

Sophomore Dean Bihr continued momentum from last season in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, breaking into Semifinals and finishing in third place overall.  Willson also warmed up in LD Debate, ending the tournament in ninth place.

In the novice division, freshman Autumn Cornwell had a special tournament, finishing in first place in novice Dramatic Interpretation, fourth place in novice Congressional Debate, and fourth place with first time competitor and freshman Jayden Colley in novice Duo Interpretation. Teammates and freshmen Hayden Franklin and Annalyn Sharp finished sixth in novice Duo Interpretation. Franklin also finished seventh in novice Poetry Interpretation, while Sharp placed sixth in novice Extemporaneous Speaking.

Freshman Lucille Andreen and freshman Jackson Coates also took home impressive first place trophies after winning the novice division in Public Forum Debate. Andreen added to her success with a third place finish in novice Poetry Interpretation, while Coates placed eleventh in Humorous Interpretation. Freshman Riley Crowder added to the team success with an eleventh place finish in novice Original Oratory.

Co-team captain Quintanilla, impressed with the team effort, said, "I was so proud of our team performance.  To have this many breaks in a big tournament this early in the season is so great." 

In agreement with Quintanilla, Assistant Coach Jeffs said, "Overall, our team members did a phenomenal job performing and putting themselves out there. The team has a lot of potential and it was exciting to see that in this first varsity/novice tournament of the season. Most importantly, I think they had fun. I can't wait to see what comes next as we build on our skills and camaraderie." Assistant Debate Coach Willson added, "The cats had a great showing this weekend and proved their worth at the season opener. I'm excited to see where we go from here, we've got lots of room to grow from an already competitive space."

Next up, the Bobcats will be hosting the Hot Springs "Holiday Miracle" Novice Tournament to be held at Hot Springs County High School on Saturday, December 16. Anyone interested in judging for this tournament or the large varsity home tournament in January should contact Coach Wiley at Lwiley@hotsprings1.org.