John R. Park Debate Society Dominates Spring Competition; Sets New Team Records

During the opening weeks of the Spring semester, the John R. Park Debate Society competed in 4 tournaments in three states dominating the competition and setting new team records. Across these four tournament alone, the Debate Society earned over 60 individual awards and a half dozen squad-wide awards. Notably, the team will enter the national tournament season with a record number of teams (6) qualified to the prestigious National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence, and all-time team record for number of season-long sweepstakes points earned by the U, and, possibly, a record number of entries qualified to the American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament. While final national results will not be decided until late March, the first four tournaments of the Spring semester bode well for the teams future success. Results include:

Great Salt Lake & Mile High Swings (University of Utah, Jan. 5-8, 2017)

Team Awards

1^st Place – Individual Event Tournament Sweepstakes (Tournament 2)
3^rd Place – Individual Event Swing Sweepstakes

Debate Awards

Quarterfinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Jesse Hedin & Skyler Hektner

Individual Event Awards (pt. 1)

1^st Place – Programmed Oral Interpretation – Zachary Ray
2^nd Place – Duo Interpretation – Zachary Ray & Sierra Johnson-Golding
2^nd Place – Programmed Oral Interpretation – Jay Meza
5^th Place – Extemporaneous Speaking – Shad Wojciechowski
5^th Place – Impromptu Speaking – Jay Meza
7^th Place – After-Dinner Speaking – Jay Meza

Individual Event Awards (pt. 2)

1^st Place – Informative Speaking – Maria DeMarco
1^st Place – Persuasive Speaking – Jacob McShane
1^st Place – Programmed Oral Interpretation – Zachary Ray
2^nd Place – Duo Interpretation – Gabi Piril & Alex Cadena
2^nd Place – Informative Speaking – Averie Vockel
2^nd Place – Programmed Oral Interpretation – Jay Meza
3^rd Place – Extemporaneous Speaking – Skyler Hektner
3^rd Place – Impromptu Speaking – Jay Meza
3^rd Place – Programmed Oral Interpretation – Gabi Piril
4^th Place – Impromptu Speaking – Skyler Hektner
4^th Place – Prose Interpretation – Maria DeMarco
5^th Place – After-Dinner Speaking – Jay Meza
5^th Place – Impromptu Speaking – Maxton Cline
6^th Place – Extemporaneous Speaking – Maxton Cline

Winter at the Beach Invitational (CSU-Long Beach, Feb. 2-5, 2017)

Individual Events Awards

2^nd Place – Extemporaneous Speaking – Shad Wojciechowski
6^th Place – Impromptu Speaking – Jay Meza

Sunset Cliffs Invitational (Pt. Loma Nazarene Univ, Feb. 9-12, 207)

Special Awards

Quintilian Award for Excellence in Forensics Education – Michael Middleton

Team Awards

4^th Place – Individual Event Tournament Sweepstakes (Tournament 1)
5^th Place – Tournament Sweepstakes: Debate & Individual Events (Tournament 2)

Debate Awards

Double Octafinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Averie Vockel & Jacob McShane
Octafinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Maxton Cline & Bryson Griffith

Individual Event Awards (pt. 1)

2^nd Place – Communication Analysis – Maria DeMarco
2^nd Place – Programmed Oral Interpretation – Gabi Piril
3^rd Place – Impromptu Speaking – Alex Cadena
4^th Place – After-Dinner Speaking – Averie Vockel
4^th Place – Extemporaneous Speaking – Alex Cadena
7^th Place – Extemporaneous Speaking – Maxton Cline
7^th Place – Prose Interpretation – Maria DeMarco

Individual Event Awards (pt. 2)

2^nd Place – Communication Analysis – Maria DeMarco
6^th Place – Extemporaneous Speaking – Maxton Cline

Western States Communication Association Invitational (Univ. of Utah, Feb. 16-19, 2017)

Team Awards

1^st Place – Best in the West (Season-long Award)
1^st Place – Tournament Sweepstakes (4-year division)

Debate Awards

1^st Place – Open Parliamentary Debate – Skyler Hektner & Jesse Hedin
Semifinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Gabi Piril & Maria DeMarco
Quarterfinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Bryson Griffith & Maxton Cline
Quarterfinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Jose Soto & Braden Hooton
Quarterfinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Courtney Nilson & Shad Wojciechowski
Octafinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Chris De Freitas & Brooks Bergmann
Octafinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Anthony Iovino & Bryan Cassellman
Octafinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Jacob McShane & Averie Vockel
Octafinalists – Open Parliamentary Debate – Saige Miller & Alex Cadena
3^rd Place Speaker – Open Parliamentary Debate – Skyler Hektner
4^th Place Speaker – Open Parliamentary Debate – Maria DeMarco
5^th Place Speaker – Open Parliamentary Debate – Jesse Hedin
6^th Place Speaker – Open Parliamentary Debate – Gabi Piril
7^th Place Speaker – Open Parliamentary Debate – Jose Soto
8^th Place Speaker – Open Parliamentary Debate – Averie Vockel
9^th Place Speaker – Open Parliamentary Debate – Saige Miller
10^th Place Speaker – Open Parliamentary Debate – Braden Hooton

Individual Event Awards

1^st Place – Communication Analysis – Chris De Freitas
1^st Place – Dramatic Interpretation – Jose Soto
1^st Place – Extemporaneous Speaking – Skyler Hektner
1^st Place – Impromptu Speaking – Skyler Hektner
3^rd Place – Impromptu Speaking – Maxton Cline
3^rd Place – Poetry Interpretation – Pricilla Fehoko
3^rd Place – Programmed Oral Interpretation – Jay Meza
3^rd Place – Prose Interpretation – Sierra Johnson-Golding
4^th Place – Duo Interpretation – Gabi Piril & Alex Cadena
5^th Place – After-Dinner Speaking – Shad Wojciechowski
5^th Place – Extemporaneous Speaking – Courtney Nilson
6^th Place – Dramatic Interpretation – Gabi Piril