On Sat., Jan. 29 through Sun., Jan. 30, the Forensics Team ranked second overall at the Jannese-Davidson memorial tournament hosted by CUI.

Jannese-Davidson, for whom the tournament was named after, was a former speech and debate competitor and coach for Concordia. In response to her legacy, Brody Rezen, a freshman on the debate team, said, “Jannese Davidson was a good woman. I believe she upheld the best values of Concordia. I am honored to uphold those same values today. Go Eagles!”

Benjamin Lange, the Director of Debate, said, “I'm proud to be a part of this program, and these students deserve every bit of success that they have earned this weekend.” Rebekah Mehrley, captain of the speech team, said, “I'm really proud of the team this year. I've loved the passion and energy all the new students have brought in. We all definitely have more work to do in gearing up for nationals season, but we are definitely in a strong place.”

Several CUI competitors enjoyed their success throughout the tournament. Haidyn Christoffel, junior on the debate team, said, “Something I learned is that hard work pays off. I definitely spent much of last semester and break focusing on how to make myself a better debater. It was super encouraging to see it pay off at the Jannese-Davidson 2022 Tournament.” 

Ethan Gray, sophomore on the speech team, said, “My favorite moment from the tournament was when I gave my informative speech during the final round. I honestly feel as though that round was the most passionate and best presented round I have ever had with my speech, and it felt really good.”

Competitors gained important education throughout the debate. Christiana Patton, sophomore on the debate team, said, “Despite my win, I am most proud of the growth I have made from my freshman year to now as a sophomore and the knowledge I have gained thus far.” Kate Settle, junior, said, “Howard and I had a great experience and learned a lot. I learned more about how to respond to Kritikal perspectives.” 

Competitors learned and applied virtues through forensics. Christoffel said, “From what I heard from our coach Benji, the judges liked us as people. In a way, that matters more to me than winning the ballot on a debate technicality. I would rather be liked personally by the debate community and lose than be disliked personally and be winning.” Patton said, “From this tournament, I learned that when I put in the hard work, I am capable of anything. Persevering and always maintaining a positive attitude despite setbacks is the most important thing to do.” 

Gray said, “after this tournament, I have learned that even with really strange and hindering challenges presented to you, it's not impossible to overcome them. That and the fact that judges will allow you to hold a water bottle when speaking as long as you tell them your voice is shot.”

Christoffel said, “I would like to thank all of the coaches that made this success possible.” Mehrley said, “I want to give a huge thanks to our coaching staff, and especially our Director of Forensics for all the work they put in to make hosting our tournament possible!”

Lange said, “involvement in forensics is challenging, rewarding, and equips you with valuable life-long skills. You will not find an experience quite like it anywhere else, so if you are interested in giving it a try, don't miss out on your opportunity to be a part of this. Contact Professor Hack for more information! (konrad.hack@cui.edu).”

Tags: debate, Education, philosophy, speech

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