Forensics emphasize points, counterpoints

By Butch Wehry
Academy Spirit staff

The Academy forensics team was a success at William Jewell College in Kansas City, Missouri. From L to R is C3C Taylor Timberlake, C3C Nicole Paget, C3C Dani Rogowski, C1C Spencer Turner, C3C Josh Seefried, C2C Erin Moubry, C1C Mike Sherman, C3C Matt Fleharty.

The 46th Annual Academy Forensics Classic, Feb. 9 through Feb. 11, featured the top five Lincoln Douglas Debate teams and top five parliamentary debate teams in the country.

The Academy's forensics team placed earlier this year in the top 10 of 87 teams at the parliamentary debate
sponsored by Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego, Calif.

Because the team was focused on running the tournament, only a few were competitors in the event. Cadets 3rd Class Matt Fleharty and Josh Seefried advanced to quarter finals, top eight of 43 in parliamentary debate. Fleharty also received sixth speaker and Seefried 15th speaker at the tourney. Cadet 4th Class Anthony Chung
advanced to semi-finals in impromptu speaking.

Cadet 4th Class David Thompson took second place in the Junior Lincoln Douglas debate and was the 4th ranked
speaker at the tournament. Cadet 4th Class Matt Weakley was the seventh ranked speaker at the tournament in the Lincoln Douglas Debate.
The event drew approximately 245 competitors and a total of about 300 guests on campus.

The Lincoln Douglas teams were part of the National Forensics Association, the oldest national forensics speech and debate association in the United States. Lincoln Douglas debate is one-on-one debate emphasizing policy
actions.

Judges were prepped about the procedures, norms and etiquette of forensics tournaments. "This year we debated the resolution: The United States Federal Government should adopt a policy to significantly increase the production of energy from renewable sources," said Academy Forensics director Audra Diers. "Participants did the equivalent of a master's degree worth of research over the course of the competitive season."

Three of the judges were cadets. Most of the judges were Academy faculty and staff. Cadets from the Academy and Prep School candidates staffed the tournament ensuring logistics like finding rooms in Fairchild Hall, arranging refreshments and following up on all needs and questions went smooth.

The assistant forensics professor from Grand Junction, Colo., said tournaments have debate, interpretation of
poetry, prose and drama, public address of persuasive and informative speaking and limited preparation events like
impromptu speaking. "Parliamentary debate is associated with the National Parliamentary Debate Association," she said. "It is a form of two-on-two extemporaneous debate. Debate teams are given a topic and 20
minutes to prepare to either defend or reject the topic. It emphasizes quick thinking and argumentation skills."
Dr. Diers believes that forensics develops effective leaders for the Air Force.

"We emphasize communication skills, research skills, audience adaptation, argumentation and the opportunity
for cadets to regularly represent the Academy when we travel to tournaments," she said. "The communication
and argumentation skills cadets learn while competing on the forensics team are unequaled. Their success as a
competitor relies on their ability to craft effective messages and adapt them to particular audiences."