Speech and debate brings home second

The Hot Springs County High School speech and debate team earned second place in 1A/2A at the large Worlando Beach Speech and Debate Tournament held at Worland High School January 19-20. Coaches Lyle Wiley, Alyssa Brown, Grace Martin, Riley Jeffs and Charlie Patterson traveled with 15 Bobcats to compete with 23 teams and over 340 entries. 

Senior Chris Bapst again broke into the Super Congress and finished in eleventh place in an extremely competitive field. Fellow seniors, Ivey Goff and Brison Steere advanced to the final round of Duo Interpretation, finishing in fourth place. Goff also broke into the semifinal round of Humorous Interpretation, capturing ninth place. Senior Julia Quintanilla had another strong tournament, advancing to the semifinal round of Poetry Interpretation and finishing in ninth place. 

Bapst and junior Brendon Butler broke through to the semifinal round of Duo Interpretation, finishing seventh overall. Bapst and Butler also tied for fifteenth place in Impromptu in a hugely competitive field.

Sophomore Dean Bihr continued to impress in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, breaking into the semifinals and finishing in third place overall with a 4-2 record. Junior Rosalie Willson also had a strong showing in LD Debate, ending the tournament in thirteenth place with a 2-2 record.

Junior Zoey Larson placed in the top twenty of Informative Speaking. Sophomore Luci Andreen and freshman Hayden Franklin presented in the top 25 of Poetry Interpretation. Junior Kiesha Kraushaar and freshman Jackson Coates brought the laughs, finishing in the top 20 of Humorous Interpretation. Freshman Riley Crowder finished in the top 20 of Original Oratory, while freshman Annalyn Sharp also broke into the top 20 of Program Oral Interpretation.

Head Coach Lyle Wiley was impressed with the team effort at a large tournament after a long break in scheduled competition. “These Cats are resilient and talented. They keep working hard and growing,” said Wiley. “We’ve been so lucky to have support from teachers and community members who have been coming in to give students feedback and ideas for their performances,” he added. 

Next up for the Bobcats is the Big Horn Speech and Debate Tournament, at Big Horn High School January 26-27.