At the Kansas State High School Activities Association 5A 4-Speaker Debate Tournament at Olathe North this past weekend, the Great Bend High School Debate team took home the honor of a fifth-place finish.
This was the debate team’s third consecutive year qualifying to compete at the state four-speaker tournament. At the four-speaker competition, a school is represented by two partnerships that will each debate one side the entire tournament. This year’s team was made up of senior Milena Carbajal and sophomore Ellie Damm on the affirmative, and seniors Chrisangel Adame and Thomas Henrikson on the negative. Junior Lea Nokes and sophomore Zachary Hart served as the alternates.
“I am incredibly proud of our debate team. This achievement not only reflects their individual growth but also speaks volumes about the cohesive and formidable team they have become,” said Panther Debate Coach Kim Heath. She continued, “with this tournament, competition in policy debate comes to an end for three of these debaters. They began their debate career during covid and were forced to learn the activity and compete online. Their success at the state level is a testament to their tenacity and commitment to excellence. I will greatly miss what they have brought to our team.”
Each of the GBHS teams finished the weekend with four wins and three losses in the round-robin style tournament for a total record of 8-6 which was one win away from the third-place spot. Blue Valley Southwest won this year’s four-speaker debate tournament with a record of 13 and 1.
Placing second was Sumner Academy with a record of 9-3. In the end, the Panthers found themselves in a three-team tie with Newton and De Soto based on their 8-6 record. Newton’s 28 judges’ ballots put them in the clear of De Soto’s 22 and Great Bend’s 19 to earn the coveted third-place trophy.
Both the affirmative and negative Panther teams defeated teams from Valley Center and Hutchinson, while both teams lost to the State Champion teams from Blue Valley Southwest. The Panthers were one and one against the Lansing, De Soto, Sumner and Newton teams.
In addition to the four-Speaker Championship, Great Bend also qualified a team in the two-Speaker state tournament. In the two-speaker division, individual teams of two debaters qualify based on their performance throughout the season, rather than a separate regional tournament. Representing the Panthers in two-Speaker division at state were sophomores Rhys Froetschner and Quinton Heath. Unfortunately, following the preliminary rounds, the team did not break into the top 16 teams to enter a single-elimination bracket; but the experience they gained will surely lead to success in future years.
The Great Bend debaters will now turn their focus to forensics. The Panther Speech team will attend the Wichita Area Model United Nations conference at Wichita State on Friday, Jan. 19. They will then open their forensics season at the end of January with tournaments at Kinsley and Andover.
