So…it’s been a long while since we last posted anything on here, and quite a few things have happened since then. So, without further delay, let’s take a quick look over the past three months to see how the Young Speakers of Austin have been faring in NCFCA speech and debate competition!
Some of the YSA members after the Awards Ceremony at the January Warmup 2011.
JANUARY WARM-UP (January 13-15, 2011). Everybody in the club participated in this first regionally-qualifying tournament of the 2011 season. YSA did amazingly well, and we had a record number of club members break to outrounds in their speeches. We broke competitors to outrounds in Apologetics, Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Illustrated Oratory, Original Oratory (6 speakers!), and Persuasive. Two YSA Team Policy teams also reached octafinals.
Let’s take a look at the breakdown:
Apologetics:
- Owen Stroud (2nd place)
- Alison Louis (Semifinalist)
Dramatic Interpretation:
- Kayley Ryan (3rd place)
- Madelaine Clay (4th place)
Duo Interpretation:
- Amason/Stroud (4th place)
Humorous Interpretation:
- Owen Stroud (1st place)
- Ben Amason (5th place)
- Madelaine Clay (6th place)
Illustrated Oratory:
- Madelaine Clay (1st place)
Original Oratory:
- Owen Stroud (1st place)
- Darah Welch (2nd place)
- Eliza Adams (Semifinalist)
- Ben Amason (Semifinalist)
- Liesl Lawrence (Semifinalist)
- Noah Luster (Semifinalist)
Persuasive:
- Madelaine Clay (3rd place)
Team Policy:
- Alison Louis/Darah Welch (13th place)
- Luke Adams/Josh Latham (14th place)
Team Policy Speaker Awards:
- Luke Adams (7th place)
IE Sweepstakes:
- Owen Stroud (1st place)
- Madelaine Clay (4th place)
This was quite a successful tournament for YSA and a great way to start the season. Complete results can be found here.
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LONE STAR QUALIFIER (January 27-29, 2011). Three YSA competitors attended this second NCFCA Region 4 qualifier of the season, and all of them broke in their speeches. Ben Amason broke to Finals in both his HI and Duo, earning 11th place in Individual Events Sweepstakes. Ellen Stroud qualified for Regionals for the first time, advancing to Semifinals in Original Oratory. Owen Stroud broke in all speech events, moving to Duo Finals with Ben and receiving 5th place, and also earning 5th place IE Sweepstakes.
Apologetics: Owen Stroud (SF)
Duo Interpretation: Amason/Stroud (5th)
Humorous Interpretation: Ben Amason (4th); Owen Stroud (SF)
Impromptu: Owen Stroud (SF)
Original Oratory: Ellen Stroud (SF); Owen Stroud (SF)
IE Sweepstakes: Owen Stroud (5th); Ben Amason (11th)
Complete results can be found here.
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TEXAS NATIONAL OPEN (February 23-26, 2011). Around 220 students from across the nation competed at the Texas National Open in Houston. In addition to being a regionally-qualifying tournament, the Open also held slots to the 2011 National Championship for the top two or three competitors in each event. YSA was represented in two nationals slots with Madelaine Clay’s 2nd-place Illustrated Oratory and 1st-place Persuasive. Results for YSA posted below:
Dramatic Interpretation:
- Madelaine Clay (8th place)
Duo Interpretation:
- Ben Amason/Owen Stroud (5th place)
Humorous Interpretation:
- Madelaine Clay (semifinalist)
- Owen Stroud (semifinalists)
Impromptu:
- Owen Stroud (semifinalist)
Illustrated Oratory:
- Madelaine Clay (2nd place, Qualified to Nationals);
- Seth Luster (semifinalist)
Original Oratory:
- Owen Stroud (3rd place);
- Darah Welch (semifinalist)
Persuasive:
- Madelaine Clay (1st place, Qualified to Nationals);
- Alison Louis (semifinalist)
Individual Events Sweepstakes:
- Owen Stroud (6th place);
- Madelaine Clay (7th place)
In Team Policy, Adams/Amason also did exceptionally well, breaking to quarterfinals and finishing at 8th place out of 45 total teams.
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So, what’s ahead?
The next tournament up is the Texas Capital Qualifier (earlier known as the Texas State Championship) in Austin, TX at Great Hills Baptist Church, March 24-26, 2011. Information can be found here.
The year has been splendid so far, and we are naturally very excited about the rest of the season. Stay tuned.
