ASU tournament is Speech and Debate’s biggest challenge so far

Alexis Kunke, Social Media Director

Every student involved in an after-school activity knows the intense feeling they get as they are about to enter a competition. Your heart picks up its pace, your palms may get sweaty, there may even be a lump stuck in your throat. One competition that brings these feelings to McClintock’s students is the Speech and Debate team’s annual ASU Southwest Championship Tournament.

“[This tournament] is long, it’s a 3-day tournament so it’s a lot like other National tournaments, like the Harvard or Berkley tournaments. Those are over 3 days and there’s more rounds than we have at a standard in-state tournament. I would describe it as long. It’s a great thing; it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” coach Tim Cornwell said.

The setup of the tournament isn’t the only thing that may be nerve-wrecking to the team, however, as this tournament is famous for the strong variety of competitors it brings.

“The competition involves teams from over 8 states,” said Cornwell, “These kids work really, really hard. Their focused on the same goal and having so many more of them in one place just gives off that feeling of intensity.”

Of course, with the competition being strong and the tournament itself being known for its intensity, practice was more than necessary. Members all worked towards bettering their performances as much as possible before the big day.

“We prepared a lot for this tournament going in,” junior Erin Granillo-Walker said, “We had meet-ups during Winter Break, and did a lot of research.”

Judges are something that one can’t really prepare themselves for, however. Every judge is unique and different parts of pieces stand out to each one. Judges from all over the nation come to judge, some for the very first time. Appealing to the judges is the number one task, and competitors know this as they dive into this legendary tournament.

“[With judges] you kind of never know what you’re going to get,” senior Hannah Parrish said, “You can have judges that judge in a style you’re used to, or judges that are expecting something very different than normal.”

“[The judges] have different things that they like, so a student’s job is to always adapt to their judge,” Cornwell said. “It makes it harder for the students, because they have a wider range to adapt to.”

Besides focusing on their performance and working to figure out how to appeal to each judge, members of the team need to always focus on their health. This competition can take a toll on the members as they are away from home for hours and have only a limited amount of time to eat. Keeping their strength is something that members need to remember to do.

“The kids taking care of themselves, of eating and of being able to maintain energy over multiple days. It’s important,” Cornwell said.

Although the tournament is undoubtedly tough, it can have its perks. The opportunities that exist at tournaments such as these vary from newfound friendships to shiny trophies.

“It’s extremely competitive, but it’s also a really cool environment to be in because you meet people that aren’t just on the Arizona circuit and you make a lot of new friends,” Parrish said. “This year it was cool placing. I made it to Quarter-Finals in Drama and third place in Poetry, so it was cool to actually place and get to go to the out rounds and see some of the more fine-tuned pieces.”

Some alumni may be sure to remember the rougher times. Tough judges, lack of food, wandering around an unfamiliar place full of unfamiliar people- these are all memories that can stick with you.

“I made finals in my event, Prose Interpretation, and I was judged in finals by all ASU Speech and Debate students,” Cornwell said. “I got all last place ranks and the only thing that I got for feedback was ‘your book is messy’. I’m still upset about that.”

At the end of the tournament, the team can all agree that in the end they’ve been rewarded with something. Whether they walked away with a trophy or medal, a new friend, or just the experience and feedback to prepare for the next tournament, ASU’s Southwest Championship deeply impacts the Speech and Debate team.