Jackson speech team places 2nd in Worland
Barely edged out by Rock Springs in final regular season competition
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — The Jackson Hole High School Speech and Debate Team, in its last regular season meet, competed at the Worland Invitational on March 4-5. In a nail biter, the team took 2nd place with 86 points while 1st place finishers Rock Springs edged them out of the top placing by one point, finishing with 87 points. The team, coached by Londe and Peggy Gagnon faced 17 schools at the tournament.
“We are very excited to see so many team members reaching their strides right before our State and District meets. With our State tournament less than a week away, we will be bringing the experience and confidence necessary to make a strong showing there,” coach Londe Gagnon commented.
Senior and team captain Carter Worcester paired up with senior Sarah Schweitzer in Public Forum Debate where they tied with fellow Jackson teammates, juniors Alexis Hernandez and Jheili Montiel Huerta , taking 1st place. Sophomores Jackson and James Neishabouri missed advancing to the culminating rounds of the event based on a tiebreaker. The PF debaters spent the weekend arguing whether or not in the United States, the benefits of increasing organic agriculture outweigh the harms.
Junior Ventura Garcia Perez found success in Lincoln Douglas Debate where he placed 3rd. He spent the weekend debating whether or not in a democracy, a free press ought to prioritize objectivity over advocacy.
Garcia Perez went on to place 7th in Congressional Debate. James Neishabouri placed 3rd in the event while Worcester placed 2nd. They were joined in the final round of the event by fellow teammates, freshmen Ben Moffett and Jasper Brandenburg.
Schweitzer finished in 2nd place in Impromptu Speaking, the largest event at the tournament with 54 entries. The event proved to be a strong one for the JHHS team with senior and team captain, Will Aepli finishing in 5th place, while freshman Oscar Andersen and junior Nicole Checker reached the semifinals of the event.
Schweitzer proved her triple threat status by placing 5th in Extemporaneous Speaking. Aepli placed 3rd with Hernandez and Andersen reaching the semifinals in the event.
Montiel Huerta placed 7th in Original Oratory and Checker placed 5th in Dramatic Interpretation with her performance on the phenomena of touch starvation.
The team’s final meets of the year hold special significance. On March 10-12, 34 teams will assemble in Riverton for the annual State Tournament. In two weeks, teams from the Wind River District of the National Speech and Debate Association gather in Rock Springs to qualify selected students for the National Tournament, to be held in Louisville, Kentucky this June.
