Palmer has recently rekindled a Speech and Debate team, coached by Mr. Chamberlin. They have attended two novice tournaments already and are quickly making a name for themselves.
Palmer’s Speech and Debate team has been on and off for many years now. The past teams have left quite a legacy. Around 17 years ago, when Mr. Chamberlin previously coached the team, they qualified for and attended nationals four years in a row, and got to travel to places such as Dallas, Texas and Birmingham, Alabama.
Speech and Debate Competitions consist of a lot more than people think. When people hear the term “Speech and Debate,” most imagine two people arguing about a topic. While that does exist, there are many different competition events that are lesser known. They are separated into “speech” and “debate” categories. The top 6 competitors in each event get recognized after the competition and receive ribbons.
Speech can be further divided into “interpretation” and “public address” categories. Interpretation consists of competitions where the speaker chooses a piece of material to perform in a theatrical way. It can be humorous, poetic, or with a partner. It gives the speaker a lot of choice in what they would like to perform. Public addresses contain a speech written by the student answering a question, persuading or educating the audience or sharing an opinion. Most are prepared before the competition, but some, such as the extemporaneous events, include limited time during the competition to prepare for the speech. All speech events are judged as a competition.
Palmer has multiple students doing a type of public address called Original Oratory (OO) where they must give a 10-minute speech persuading the audience about a topic they are passionate about. Rowan Phillips, a junior, got fifth place in OO at the Widefield Novice Tournament.
Debate is the better-known category. Debate challenges individuals or teams to argue for or against a topic, rebut against their opponents’ opposing claims, rebuild their argument against their opponents’ attacks, and convince a judge. Debate topics are determined by the National Speech and Debate Association. The topic stays the same for two months for all tournaments before changing. Debaters must prepare arguments for both sides.
Palmer has students doing Lincoln-Douglas (LD) and Public Forum (PF) debate. Lincoln-Douglas debate is the classic one versus one debate. Public Forum debate has teams of two opposing each other. Tyler Peake and Anna Fedoruk, both sophomores and a Public Forum debate team, have gotten fourth place in PF at both the Widefield and Palmer Ridge Novice Tournaments. Willa Kalmanowitz, a sophomore and Lincoln-Douglas debater, got second place in LD at the Palmer Ridge Novice Tournament.
The next tournament the team will be attending is on November 15 at Fountain-Fort Carson High School. This will be their first opportunity to compete against varsity students, not just novices.
