The Speech and Debate team had their second consecutive win in 5A at the State Championship, with Rose State College hosting this event last Saturday.

The team members demonstrated communication during the weekend-long competition; their performance resulted from months of preparation, hard work, and perseverance.

Freshman Even Moen, who won seventh in monologue, third in standard oratory, and state runner-up in prose, expressed excitement about her involvement.

“I am thrilled to have competed,” Moen said. “It’s proof of the hard work we put in daily, and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent our school.”

As a freshman, it was Moen’s first official state tournament which is one of the highest stakes for some students and a nerve-racking experience for most, especially for a freshman.

“During the competition, nerves are the thing I struggle with the most,” Moen said.  “Once I get up to perform my piece, they melt away, and I was ready to perform to the best of my ability.”

Senior Price Collier, who is the state champion in original oratory as well as humorous interpretation, credited his team’s success to their dedication and teamwork.

 “Speech and Debate are not just about individual achievement; it’s about working together to achieve a common goal,” Collier said. “I am proud of our team’s effort, and I know this victory will inspire us to aim for even greater heights.”

A fourth-year student in speech and debate, Collier knows all the ins and outs of the season and how difficult it can be to manage all the other extracurriculars students have besides speech and debate. 

 “One big challenge this year and for everyone is time management,” Collier said. “I was in three events, which is the most you can bring to the state, and that meant a lot of running around and balancing all my other activities.” 

The Speech and Debate team’s victory at the State Championship demonstrated their hard work and dedication. The team’s coach, Brett Young, expressed his pride in the group. 

The team achieved 102 points which broke down to how each competitor placed in their events and rounds. Guymon, who won second place, was almost 50 points behind. 

“I am incredibly proud of our team’s performance,” Young said.  “Winning made the speech teacher…speechless. I was amazed and proud of how well we all performed with the pressure to be state champions back to back.”