Welcome to the height of Speech and Debate season! The blitzes are filled with the sound of several speeches going on at once and the debate rooms have students hunched over computers preparing for their next speech.
The State Qualifying Tournament itself has competitors caught between varied feelings of fear and excitement as they make it through the 3 Preliminary rounds. Breaks are a team affair with events grouping together with the hope that several from their squad make it through. Awards are always the most nerve-wracking of the semester so far. Over a hundred speech kids from Archbishop Mitty attended the award ceremony which is filled with sobs of joy and happiness!
This State Qualifying tournament was no exception, but the success was well worth it! Overall, we qualified a total of 49 competitors to the State Championship Tournament.
To learn more about the atmosphere and competition of this tournament, check out the competitor quotes below!
“The most important moment for me was not when I qualified, but when our youngest members qualified. It felt so amazing to be part of our MSD family.”
“State Quals is where, after 8 months of anticipation, the Road to State truly begins. The excitement, nerves, and unity all emerge, as the 160 strong team, comes together with one common goal. ”
“Every round of State Quals is special: not only is it the pinnacle of the MSD season, but you are also reminded that even if you’re competing alone, you debate (or speak!) with your entire team behind you. ”
“State Quals is truly an invigorating and energizing tournament where every round is of the utmost value. Not just because it is a means to get to State but rather that it is the culmination of everything you have put in over the course of the year.”
“State quals every year is the culmination of a year of hard work. No matter how it ends up, whether it is you or your friends on the final stage getting the opportunity to qual, to know that you played a part in one of those journeys no matter how small or large is a feeling I will never forget!”