News Release

CLUB NEWS RELEASE / March 17, 2009

Talking Broncos Take Top Sweepstakes Spot at Spokane Falls Community College Invitational

The Boise State University speech and debate team placed first in overall sweepstakes at the Spokane Falls Community College forensics invitational March 6-7.

This week, the Talking Broncos will compete in the Pi Kappa Delta National Forensics Tournament (PKD) in Shreveport, La. Up to 65 schools will compete for the national title March 19-21, with more than 1,300 individual speech event entries and around 500 debate team entries.

The meet in Spokane focused the team on the national meet, coaches said.

“We as the coaching staff were proud of the fact that this was truly a team victory – every person contributed to the successful outing,” said David Bailey, director of forensics at Boise State. “The tournament also showed us a few areas where we need to improve in the short week prior to PKD Nationals.”

The Talking Broncos encountered strong competition from eleven other Northwest schools including: Carroll College, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, the University of Montana, Lower Columbia College, and Linfield College.

Some of the team’s accomplishments included:

Debra Groberg (freshman, Idaho Falls) and Regan Charlton (junior, Inkom) placed first in open parliamentary debate. Groberg and Charlton also were the top two speakers in the open division of parliamentary debate.

George Fenton (freshman, Post Falls) and Dawn Gillin (senior, Lewiston) placed first in novice parliamentary debate. Fenton and Gillin also were the top two speakers in the novice division of parliamentary debate.

Ben Bishop (senior, Meridian), Fenton, Paul Wardwell (senior, Boise), Aaron Olson (sophomore, Bremerton, Wash.), Erik Sande (senior, Boise) and Reggie Holmquist (junior, Kuna) “closed out” informative speaking, taking all of the top six places in the event.

Olson also placed first in persuasive speaking, fourth in extemporaneous speaking, fourth in informative speaking, third in after dinner speaking and second in international public debate.

Sande placed first in duo interpretation with partner Kate Henry (junior, Coeur d’ Alene), first place in communication analysis speaking, fifth in extemporaneous speaking, sixth in impromptu speaking, and fifth in informative speaking.

Charlton placed first in open extemporaneous speaking, sixth in poetry interpretation, and third in impromptu speaking.

Henry took third place in program oral interpretation, second in after dinner speaking, fourth in dramatic interpretation and sixth in prose interpretation. Henry also was the fourth-place speaker in the open division of parliamentary debate.

Bishop placed first in informative speaking, fifth in persuasive speaking, second in impromptu speaking and fifth place in after dinner speaking. Bishop also reached the semi-finals of international public debate.

Emil Huseynov (senior, Azerbaijan) placed fifth in open extemporaneous speaking and fifth in impromptu, and Fenton placed second in persuasive speaking, first in novice extemporaneous speaking, second in informative speaking and sixth in novice impromptu speaking.

Gillin placed fifth in novice impromptu, while Holmquist placed sixth in informative speaking, second in novice impromptu, third place in persuasive speaking and fourth-place in novice extemporaneous speaking.

Caley Christian (junior, Coeur d’Alene) placed third in novice prose interpretation while Paul Wardwell (senior, Boise) placed third in informative speaking.

For more information on the Boise State University speech and debate team contact David Bailey at dcbailey@boisestate.edu or (208) 426-1928.

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Media Contact: Mike Journee, University Communications, (208) 426-1517, mikejournee@boisestate.edu

Boise State University is “The New U Rising” with record student enrollment, new academic buildings, additional degree programs and a growing research agenda. Learn more at www.boisestate.edu. 
 

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Last reviewed on Tuesday, March 17, 2009