Elkins High School Speech & Debate Team will finish their season today at the 2024 WV Speech and Debate Association State Tournament at West Virginia University.
The tournament began yesterday and will conclude this evening. Top competitors earn slots to compete at the National Catholic Foresnics League Grand National Tournament and the National Speech & Debate Association National Tournament.
Senior, Justin, is competing in impromptu speaking. Since joining the team last year, Justin has experienced tremendous growth as a speaker and is looking to break into the top ten this weekend.
“I’m ready to break some larynxes,” Justin quipped.
Junior, Cat, is competing in Lincoln-Douglas debate. Also, a second year debater, Cat has spend a significant amount of time growing her researching and speaking skills this year. After the first rounds of debate last night, she entered today ready to complete the final preliminary round.
“I feel like it went good. I’ve definitely grown a lot since last year.” Cat remarked.
Freshman, Juliann, is competing in impromptu speaking, extemporaneous speaking, and informative speaking. This is her first state tournament, but she is looking to make a significant impact on team scoring by competing in three speech events.
“I’m nervous, but I think I got it.” Juliann remarked.
