Central High School’s speech and debate team returned from the state tournament with its 12th Class AA championship in 13 years and three first-place finishes in individual events.
The South Dakota high school debate tournament was Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2 in Watertown.
Debate coach Kerry Konda said two of the individual event championships were by Breanna Wollman, who won both the Lincoln-Douglas and Original Oratory divisions. David Schlotte placed first in Domestic Extemporaneous, his first tournament win in the event.
MORE:Â Central debate team seeks 12th state title in 13 years
Wollman and Schlotte, who both competed in Lincoln-Douglas and U.S. Extemporaneous, each used the word surreal to describe the events that unfolded over the weekend.
Central won with the team competition 145 points, while Sioux Falls Jefferson close behind with 125 points, good for second place. Other results for Central students follow.
- Public Forum: Two-person teams comprised of Reagan Blackburn and Katelyn Ryan and Rylan Johnson and Kaleb Ringgenberg advanced to the quarterfinals.
- International Extemporaneous: Ringgenberg placed fifth.
- Oratory: Carla Garcia placed fourth.
- Informative: Daisy Williams placed fifth and Ashley Crouch sixth.
Wollman said the tournament was not going as planned as of Friday evening. She didn’t advance to the quarterfinals in U.S. Extemporaneous, which was unusual because she’d made it that far in every other competition this year. That, she said, was a tough blow.
But, Wollman said, her coaches and her teammates encouraged her to focus her efforts on the rest of the weekend. That worked as Wollman won the Lincoln-Douglas event and claimed a second consecutive state championship in Original Oratory.
“It’s really important to keep your head forward in times like this,” she said.
As excited as he was to win an individual title, Schlotte said one of his biggest takeaways was watching Wollman struggle on Friday and come back strong on Saturday.
“Breanna and others were a great inspiration,” he said. “Some didn’t make it to the final round. They didn’t let it get to them and came back and succeeded the next day.”
Schlotte said that’s a lesson the debate coaches continuously try to instill.
“The only round that matters is the one you’re in,” he said. “It’s something we’ve all taken to heart.”
MORE:Â Viewers can vote for Aberdeen team in ‘Cabin Wars’ reality show
In the U.S. Extemporaneous division, competitors draw questions about various topics and have 30 minutes to prepare a speech on the issue.
Schlotte said all the topics had to do with the United States and each round of competition focused on a different area — politics, energy or climate change, for instance. Keeping up with the news is key, he said.
He said he’s unlikely to ever forget his final question, which asked if President Joe Biden has fulfilled his climate-related promises. Schlotte said he smiled when he saw that question because he already knew what he was going to say. It was just a matter of pulling together the sources he needed.
As someone who is generally in the audience watching the winners be announced, Schlotte said it was a surreal moment being honored on stage.
“I couldn’t believe I was the champion for once,” he said.
Schlotte also made it to the quarterfinals in Lincoln-Douglas, where debaters explored whether the U.S. should decrease its military presence in northern Africa and western Asia.
MORE:Â Central debate team seeks 12th state title in 13 years
Lincoln-Douglas debaters all complete five preliminary rounds. Those with at least three wins advance to the quarterfinals.
Wollman said her fourth Lincoln-Douglass preliminary round saw her pitted against her boyfriend, who attends a different school. She lost that round, but won her quarterfinal and ended up facing Noah Johnson from Sioux Falls O’Gorman in the final.
Wollman lost to Johnson in her first ever Lincoln-Douglas debate, but had yet to faced him this season. She came out on top Saturday.
Wollman wins second straight Original Oratory title
She said Original Oratory was a rough event, but she prevailed. Competitors give a prepared speech on a topic of their choice. Wollman spoke on the lack of empathy and empathy burnout.
“Being back-to-back champions is so surreal,” Wollman said.
She said she’ll now focus on the national debate tournament later in spring. She’s qualified in Original Oratory.
MORE: Cougars shut out Sioux Falls to win girls state hockey title
Wollman described the state tournament as bittersweet as she recalled her first impressions of debate as a freshman when one of Konda’s comments on her first paper was, “You have an oratory voice, and you would light the speech and debate world on fire.”
From there, Wollman said, she set goals for herself, and she credits her experience in debate for her achievements.
“Debate set the foundation for so much else in my life,” she said. “I wouldn’t have found my voice. I owe everything do debate and Konda.”