MC Speech & Debate, a new attitude
The MC Speech & Debate Team has retooled and established itself on campus. With an experienced recruiting class that includes veteran competitors from high school and a transfer from a successful community college program in Oregon, the MC Speech & Debate Team looks poised to do damage this fall. “We’re really excited. We talked a lot about what types of students we could bring to the college and we’ve managed to follow through,” said Director Ron Bronson, Jr.
Junior transfer Josh Sonnenburg brings two years of competitive experience at Portland’s Mt. Hood Community College to MC, which is consistently one of the top ranked teams in the country – for two or four year schools. “Debate doesn’t make distinctions for divisions like athletics does, so community college teams, small schools and large schools all compete together. Josh comes here with a wealth of experience and really helps our depth,” said Bronson.
First-year Emily Langdon of Belleville, IL comes from one of the best forensics programs in Illinois and will be an immediate contributor. Junior Victoria Hughes will also be a key contributor during the year. “Vicky had a great deal of success last year. I expect her to dominate JV this year with her new partner, before moving up to varsity by mid-fall,” said Bronson. Returnee Sarah Hockenberry will also be teaming up with a new partner and is expected to be a stronger presence this year. The team has about fifteen active members and is the second largest activity group in Scotspeak – The Academic & Forensics Society.
This year is special as the team plans to bring intercollegiate debate to Monmouth in two tournaments this fall. The first, the Central Round Robin will take place on Saturday September 27th here at MC. The round robin is an “informal, but important tournament for our junior varsity and novice competitors,” said Bronson. The tournament will feature teams from Knox College in Galesburg, McKendree College in Lebanon, Wheaton College in Wheaton and Kenyon College from Gambier, Ohio, as well as three to five Monmouth College teams competing in a five round tournament. “With a lack of travel funds, we wanted to explore ways for our debaters to stay sharp. We were lucky these teams were looking for similar opportunities and are willing to travel here to compete with us,” he said.
The team hopes to travel to as far as Colorado Springs this season, in its first full season of competition which includes a schedule of at least eight tournaments. “Last year, we worked a lot on organization and structure. This year, we have people who have come here to compete, like new recruits athletes would. We want to get them as many opportunities as possible,” said Bronson.
The team also plans to host part of the Prairie Invitational tournament, a larger, regional tournament on October 17-18 with Knox College. Students from colleges throughout the Midwest including Indiana University have expressed interest in competing in the tournament. “We jumped at the opportunity to co-host this tournament. It gives our campus more exposure, as it never hurts to have sixty or seventy students in suits walking around campus. It helps our program gain exposure on campus too,” he said.
Parliamentary debate is a quick battle of wits between teams of two debaters, who debate a resolution. Audience participation is encouraged and no two debates are the same. “Most people are surprised by it when they see it. It’s very engaging and can be extremely fun to watch,” added Bronson, who is a two-time national championship qualifier in parliamentary debate.
The team will also have competitors participating in speech events like poetry, prose and extemporaneous speaking, among others. First-year Michelle Anstett brings high school experience and will be one of the driving forces behind the MC speech effort. “We have a dual attack, as some of our members compete in both speech and debate. It really helps their speaking skills and makes them well rounded competitors. We’re really excited about this year,” said Bronson.