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Beginning the Year at Yale: Speech and Debate has Strong Showing at First Competition of the School Year

By Pat Conklin ’18

Chaminade’s Robert C. Wright Speech and Debate team began their 2016-2017 season this Friday, September 16 to Sunday, September 18, by competing in the prestigious Yale Invitational.   

(l.-r.) Tim Franz ’19, Aidan Fitzgerald ’18, and Sean Lochner ’19 stand with their awards just outside Yale’s famous Battell Chapel.
(l.-r.) Tim Franz ’19, Aidan Fitzgerald ’18, and Sean Lochner ’19 stand with their awards just outside Yale’s famous Battell Chapel.

The team made the two-hour journey to the Yale Invitational, a Junior-Varsity and Varsity competition hosted on the campus of Yale University, as well as at two nearby high schools.  The team faced off against some of the strongest Speech and Debate teams in our region, competing with over a thousand competitors from all around the country.

 

Chaminade’s Public Forum debaters gather between rounds to update each other on their performances.
Chaminade’s Public Forum debaters gather between rounds to update each other on their performances.

Chaminade’s team, consisting of 26 sophomores, juniors, and seniors began the tournament Friday night.  The debaters had their first two preliminary rounds of debate Friday night, followed by the next four preliminary rounds on Saturday, September 17.   Preliminary rounds for the speech team began on Saturday.  Later that day, the Lincoln Douglas debaters Tim Franz ’19, Sean Lochner ’19, and Aidan Fitzgerald ’18 competed in the elimination rounds of the tournament. They had a strong showing, with the two sophomores making it to Double Octofinals, placing them amongst the top thirty-two debaters in their category.  In addition, junior Aidan Fitzgerald gave the strongest performance by advancing to the Octofinal round, placing him amongst the top 16 in his category.   The Public Forum debate team of Owen Hanley ’17 and James Sorrentino ’17  qualified for the elimination rounds as well.  The successful weekend was wrapped up with the awards ceremony in Yale’s Battell Chapel.

Overall, the members of the Speech and Debate team were thrilled with a satisfying start to their 2016-2017 season, and is looking forward to another spectacular year.  As Aidan Fitzgerald ’18 noted, “The competition at Yale this year was fierce, with each round providing a new challenge.  At the end of the weekend both I and the team were very satisfied with the performances we gave.”