To prepare for the upcoming national forensics tournament in St. Louis, Mo. the Boise State debate and speech team split into two contingents and headed in opposite directions at the end of February. Ten days, two tournaments, 3,461 miles of travel and 42 trophies later, both groups had found success. 

Ten members of the Talkin’ Broncos team traveled to Walla Walla, Wash., for the Whitman College Invitational Feb. 18-20, finishing second. Four days later, four other members of the team attended the University of Houston’s National Invitational Tournament where they placed third. 

 

At the Whitman Invitational, Boise State finished only two points behind the host school despite Whitman’s nearly 3-to-1 numerical advantage.  The Talkin’ Broncos finished well ahead of third-place Lewis & Clark College (Ore.), as well as the University of South Carolina, Western Kentucky University, the University of Washington, Carroll College (Mont.) and the University of Nevada.

 

Outnumbered even more heavily at the University of Houston Tournament, the four members of the Talkin’ Bronco squad finished third behind William Carey (Miss.) and the University of Texas (with two points again marking the difference between Boise State and the team ahead of them), but well in front of Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Louisiana State and St. Mary’s University (Texas).

 

Boise State’s runner-up finish at Whitman was keyed by Scott Nelson (senior, American Falls) who won three events — Persuasive Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, and novice Prose Interpretation — and teamed with Kristin Davidson (junior, Winnipeg, Manitoba) to finish fifth in novice debate. Davidson won Poetry Interpretation and placed second in both Persuasive Speaking and Rhetorical Analysis. Lacey Rammell-O’Brien (senior, Eagle) won two events — Speech to Entertain and Program Oral Interpretation, and was second in Impromptu Speaking. Annah Merkley (senior, Pocatello) won Prose Interpretation and finished second in Program Oral Interpretation. Other top scorers for Boise State were  Jared Cooke (junior, Idaho Falls), who was second in Informative Speaking, third in Poetry Interpretation and sixth in Impromptu Speaking;  and Kristen Raney (senior, Boise), who was second in novice Informative Speaking and second in novice Prose Interpretation.

 

With only four competitors, the Talkin’ Broncos didn’t figure to win the University of Houston Invitational. But with all four winning multiple awards, Boise State managed an impressive third-place finish. Leading the way was Krista King (junior, Boise) who won the Public Debate competition with a perfect 9-0 record, defeating a debater from the University of Houston on a 2-1 decision in the final round. King also placed fourth in Persuasive Speaking, fourth in Prose Interpretation and fifth in Informative Speaking. Hillary Davidson (junior,  Spokane) won