This year’s speech and debate team saw some big changes and improvements over past years. With adviser Myiah Bengston at the helm for the first time with a significantly larger team, the Sheridan High School speech and debate team is looking optimistically into the future.
Speech and debate involves 14 different events, each with its own rules and style. “It’s got a very, very big range,” said Bengston. During her first year as sponsor of the Sheridan speech and debate team, Bengston has come to know the program inside and out. Being new to the program with a team size going from six or seven participants last year to 20 this year, Bengston has managed to hit the ground running and provide strong leadership for the team.
The speech and debate season can span from October to June, making it one of the longest seasons for an extracurricular activity. While the state competition is held in March, qualifiers can make the national competition in June. The long season allows participants to get comfortable in their respective events and as a team learn how to work together effectively to give the best performance possible when a competition rolls around. Competitors can expect to be entered into multiple events per competition, with some competing in six events in a few days. Events can range from individual speeches, debates in teams, solo debates, and even more.
The Broncs saw a lot of success this year, even against seasoned competitors from other schools. “We had a lot of kids enter events that they had never done before, and they did really well,” said Bengston. “I would say it was very, very successful.”
Team president, junior Blake Anderson, has been competing on the speech and debate team since his freshman year. Competing in extemporaneous speech and public forum, Anderson has shown his talent in multiple events throughout his speech and debate career. This year, Anderson and the team performed at their best in a long time. “Overall, it’s the best we’ve done in probably 5 years,” said Anderson. “We’ve had more people placing at tournaments than ever before.” Finding so much success under changed circumstances is a testament to the effort that the Broncs have put into this activity this year.
At this year’s state competition, there were over 400 competitors from schools all around the region. The state competition is held in Cheyenne, and it offers competitors the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a broader audience and against people they may have never competed with before. Sheridan had four semi-finalists out of around 480 different competitions, demonstrating an impressive level of talent in a highly challenging field.
In the coming years, the speech and debate team hopes to expand its program even more and offer participants the opportunity to go to different places and experience new events. With strong new leadership and a program that continues to grow in popularity, the future of the speech and debate team looks bright.
