John R. Park Debate Society Hosts Utah Tournament of Excellence; Venture HS, SLC West HS Take Top Honors

On April 3, The John R. Park Debate Society hosted the seventh annual Utah Tournament of Excellence (UTE). The UTE aims to bring together the absolute “best of the best” from across the state for a single day of focused, high-level, academic debate. Additionally, the UTE will offer students the opportunity to compete in a “tournament of excellence” hosted by Utah’s premier research university, adjudicated by experienced, knowledgeable critics. This year's tournament featured competitors from Bryce Valley, Davis, Providence Hall, Bonneville, Juab, Ridgeline, SLC West, Waterford, and Venture Academy high school speech and debate teams. In the Lincoln-Douglas division, Venture Academy became the first school to coach a two-time winner of the UTE by again emerging victorious. In the Public Forum Division, SLC West emerged as the tournament winner.

For additional information about the tournament, visit: https://debate.utah.edu/high_school_outreach/ute.php.