Cedar High School takes home Region 10 speech and debate crown; locals prepare for state tournament

Members of the Cedar High School speech and debate team after winning the Region 10 tournament, St. George, Utah, Feb. 26, 2022 | Photo provided by Shaila Bringhurst, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The speech and debate teams from Region 10 high schools met Feb. 25-26 at Snow Canyon High School to decide the regional championship.

The top three individual performances were recognized in 10 different speech and debate categories.

In team competition, Cedar High School finished on top of the region standings. Hurricane finished second and Desert Hills was third.

Dixie High School, Shaila Bringhurst provided results in an email to St. George News. Following is a list of winners in each category, along with quotes from a couple of team members.

  • Congress: 1. Kai Demedicis, Hurricane 2. Samuel Nankervis, Cedar 3. Aidan Gates, Hurricane.
  • Lincoln Douglas: 1. Will Reeve, Hurricane 2. Sydney Gillman, Desert Hills, 3. Logan Sanger, Hurricane.
  • Policy: 1. Ava Graff and Sydney Losser, Desert Hills 2. Jorge Pineda and Lovell, Crimson Cliffs 3. Amelia Cooper and Careen Woolley, Desert Hills.
  • Public Forum: 1. Josh Baker and Elsa Christiansen, Cedar 2. Nathan Larkin and Alex Bracken, Hurricane 3. Nathan Ellison and Ben Ludolf, Hurricane. 
  • Domestic Extemporaneous Speech: 1. Ava Graff, Desert Hills 2. Aidan Gates, Hurricane 3. Logan Nelson, Cedar.
  • Foreign Extemporaneous Speech: 1. Jorge Pineda, Crimson Cliffs 2. Jash Velasco, Cedar 3. Chloe Hurd, Crimson Cliffs.
  • Impromptu: 1. Mason Wilson, Desert Hills 2. Tucker Loris, Crimson Cliffs 3. Abi Roundy, Cedar.
  • Informative: 1. Tiana Green, Cedar 2. Esther Wright, Hurricane 3. Kodi Oveson, Cedar.
  • Interpretation Speech: 1. Kaci Demedicis, Hurricane 2. Afton Hays, Desert Hills 3. Noah Denhalter, Cedar.
  • Original Oratory: 1. Elsa Christiansen, Cedar 2. Sydney Losser, Desert Hills, 3. Brooklyn Larsen, Cedar.

“To put it simply, joining debate was the best decision I’ve made in high school,” Elsa Christiansen wrote after finishing first in both original oratory and public forum. She is a team captain for Cedar. 

It’s taught me perseverance, the importance of preparation, the power of clear and concise speech, and most valuable of all is the skill of listening,” Christiansen added. “A mindful listener who truly understands both sides is the best debater. I’m so grateful for all the friends I’ve met through debate and discussions I’ve had.”

Christiansen also said all the lengthy practices were worth it.

 “It’s been a lot of hard work and long nights, but I wouldn’t have had high school any other way. And to my amazing public forum partner, Josh Baker, thank you. We did it. And to my team and coach, you guys are amazing.” 

Aidan Gates, a senior at Hurricane and team president, wrote a note about his experiences at regional debate.

“This was my fourth time participating in the Region tournament for Hurricane High, and I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” Gates wrote. “Over the years, it has felt like the culture surrounding debate has been dying out, so having a more traditional tournament was a great way to close out the region’s year and to set teams up for the state competition.”

“Watching everyone grow and learn to speak like the leaders they were born to be is always the best part of the season coming to an end.”

The speech and debate state tournament is March 11-12 at Crimson Cliffs High School. The top 10 individual finishers in each category advance to state.

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