by Kaitlin Kinsella

STATE COLLEGE, PA — The best way to spend Valentine’s Day is with those who you love.  Fortunately, the Lafayette College Forensic’s Speech Team got to spend their Valentine’s Day together – as one giant family.  On February 13 and 14 the team competed in the Pennsylvania Forensics Society State Tournament at Penn State University.  The team did exceptionally well, with two members receiving state titles, and every member of the team breaking into final rounds.  

Senior Sharon Chen, President of Lafayette’s team, is state champion in rhetorical criticism.  In addition to her state title, Chen placed second in her other two events: informative and persuasion.  Placing second in persuasion earned Chen a bid to the Interstate Oratorical Association Tournament April 24-26 at Berry College in Georgia.  To receive a bid to this tournament, the oldest oratorical contest in the US, one must place first or second at the state tournament level.  In addition to competing at this tournament, every contestant’s speech is published in the book Winning Orations.  This is Chen’s first time qualifying for this tournament and the team couldn’t have been happier with having Chen represent the state.  

Aaron Walker, a first-year student at Lafayette, took home the state title in impromptu speaking.  Not only did Walker take first in impromptu, he also took third place in extemporaneous speaking.  Walker has been a great addition to the Lafayette Speech Team – as a first year student he has dazzled fellow teammates with his critical thinking skills and the poise he has when speaking. Walker has grown so much since he started with the team and we cannot wait to see how he progresses.

Chen and Walker were not the only two to place in the annual tournament.  Senior Joseph Arrieta placed third in poetry; junior Jennifer Bognar placed fourth in prose and second in after dinner speaking; junior Alyssa Braver placed fourth in extemporaneous speaking; junior Cassidy Reller placed second in impromptu, second in extemporaneous speaking, and third in persuasion; sophomore Kaitlin Kinsella placed third in impromptu and sixth in persuasion; and first-year Jasmine Puri placed fourth in persuasion.  Every member of the Lafayette Speech Team broke into final rounds, resulting in Lafayette taking second overall.  

The team is preparing to compete in the National Forensics Association’s national tournament April 26-20 at Ohio University.  The next stop before nationals is the Emerson College Rose Invitational and the New England Regional Championships in Boston February 21-22. Both the speech and debate team will be competing at this tournament.