UAM Debate Team Returns From Louisiana With 12 State and Regional Championships
February 7th, 2010 by UAM News
Members of the UAM debate team display their awards from the 2010 Southern Regional Tournament held at LSU-Shreveport. Pictured from left are (front row) Jim Evans, director of forensics, Anna Blace Barron, Laura Ramos, Tiffany Reed, Brittany Booker, Amber Rowe, (second row) Tyler Tessaro, Melissa Rodgers, Jonathon Hoskins, Kelly Reed, Bobby Evans, (back row) Chris Brown, Zack Tucker, Yvonne Hinshaw, and Jamie Ward.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello debate and forensics team won the prestigious Michael Fisher Sweepstakes Arkansas State Tournament Championship at the Southern Regional Championship Tournament January 29-31 at Louisiana State University-Shreveport.
Competing against debate and forensics teams from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, UAM also captured the Arkansas State Overall Sweepstakes Championship, the Arkansas State Individual Forensics Events Championship and nine more state and regional championships at the three-day competition.
The tournament featured International Public Debate Association competition in team public debate, individual public debate in both varsity and novice divisions, parliamentary debate, and individual competition in extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking, prose interpretation, and dramatic interpretation.
Tyler Tessaro, a freshman political science major from Springdale, won the Arkansas State Speaker Championship and third place speaker award in parliamentary debate. Tessaro and Kelly Reed, a freshman general studies major from Siloam Springs, won the Arkansas State Parliamentary Debate Championship.
In American Forensics Association individual events, Yvonne Hinshaw, a senior political science major from Monticello won the Arkansas State Extemporaneous Championship; Bobby Evans, a freshman animal science major from Memphis, Tenn., won the Arkansas State Dramatic Interpretation Championship; Kelly Reed won the Arkansas State Impromptu Speaking Championship; and Brittany Booker, a freshman English major from Hermitage, won the Arkansas State Prose Championship.
Chris Brown, a sophomore communications major from Siloam Springs, won Arkansas State IPDA Varsity Championship and IPDA Varsity Debate Southern Regional Championship. Tiffany Reed, a sophomore communications major from Cabot, reached the final 16 in varsity debate.
In the novice debate competition, Hinshaw and Jonathan Hoskins, a sophomore political science major from Hermitage, both reached the round of 16.
Also participating in the tournament for UAM were Zack Tucker, a senior political science major from Marked Tree, Anna Blace Barron, a junior business major from Monticello, Melissa Rodgers, a sophomore nursing major from Star City, Amber Rowe, a senior communication major from Crossett, Laura Ramos, junior communications major from Crossett, and Jamie Ward, sophomore psychology major from Pocahontas.
“Our team bounced back from the winter break strong, collecting a few trophies I believe the team has never won before,” said Jim Evans, director of forensics. “This year is the 40th anniversary of the debate and forensics program at UAM and I believe it will be a very positive year.”
The UAM debate team and Monticello High School forensics team will host the R. David Ray Forensics Tournament at UAM February 12-13. The team next competition will be the Eddy Shell Invitational at Bossier Parish (La.) Community College February 19-21.
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