McClintock’s Speech and Debate team kicked off the season with its first practice and informational meeting last Thurs., Aug. 20, 2015.

Speech and Debate is a nationally recognized competitive public speaking activity that teaches competitors skills in critical analysis, public speaking, acting, and rhetoric depending on the event a competitor chooses to compete in. The competition season lasts throughout the school year and McClintock’s own team began its bi-weekly practice schedule last Thursday.

“There are a lot of new faces. We had a pretty good freshman turnout, and even some sophomores and new juniors. I think we have a lot more goals set this year. It’s nice to get people started early so we can be successful this year,” senior co-president of McClintock Speech and Debate Tess Green said.

Approximately thirty students who had not been on the Speech and Debate team in years past did show up to the informational meeting on Aug. 20.

“We did have more people last year – more freshman – but after the first couple practices a lot of them left. This year I have a feeling that they’re here to stay,” Green said.

In comparing this year’s first meeting to first meetings in years past, senior and veteran team-member Jacque Lyman said, “It was definitely more organized and set a better tone for what we hope the season will look like.”

During this first meeting a panel of coaches and veteran team members including head coach and sponsor Tim Cornwell, head coach Ritchie Glover, coach Zachary Brisson, senior co-president Tess Green, senior co-President Roman Shemakov, and senior publicity director Whitney Kubal all explained the goal and purpose of Speech and Debate, the benefits of participation in the program, and the nature of the multitude of competition events in brief.

“I’m very excited about the year, meeting new people, growing as a writer and just as a person,” junior and new team-member Saffiatou Tamba said.

There are fourteen unique events in Speech and Debate – ranging from the analytically intensive Policy debate event to the emotionally personal Dramatic Interpretation acting event – giving competitors a wide variety in what skills they can choose to hone and develop while on the team and what their experience at tournaments is like.

“Joining speech and debate is kind of intimidating at first, but as you get into it, you get more into it. Especially as you watch these guys who are all veterans. It gets you amped up for it,” junior and new team-member Justin Roth said.

McClintock’s Speech and Debate team practices every Monday and Thursday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Drama Room, room 829. The first few practices of the season are dedicated to training new team members and helping them find their footing on the team, and general practice includes writing and rehearsing speeches, learning rhetoric and analysis, and performing for or debating in front of coaches in order to receive helpful critique in preparation for tournaments.

When asked what was new about Speech and Debate this year, Cornwell said “We have a booster club, a nonprofit organization which helps fund our program.”

This will be the first year McClintock Speech and Debate has a booster club.

“To join the booster club adults have to pay five dollars to join, and they have to get their fingerprinting done with the District to complete the volunteer process,” Cornwell said.

The booster club has not yet had its first meeting to appoint its officers, but adults interested in joining can apply to be a volunteer online.

Over the summer, McClintock’s Speech and Debate team was honored at the 2015 National Speech and Debate Association Tournament held in Dallas, Texas.

“It feels good, but it also puts more pressure on us because you don’t want to take a step back. But it feels good. We can help more kids succeed,” Timothy Cornwell said.

When asked what he wanted to happen differently this season compared to last year, Cornwell said, “I’m hoping to do better in debate. We had a down year in debate last year.”

“The first [tournament] that we’re planning to attend is on Oct. 17 at Brophy. We’re looking at about ten to twelve [total] this year,” Cornwell said.