Central Catholic speech and debate team dominates Divisionals

“The U.S. federal government should substantially increase its economic and diplomatic engagement with China.”

It didn’t matter whether Central Catholic High School freshmen Trinity Holden and Josiah Shirley agreed or disagreed with the proposed policy. It was their job to thoroughly investigate the details of the proposal and be prepared to argue for or against it when so asked at their speech and debate competitions.

“The debaters are given a complex resolution, and then we work on that same resolution all year,” Josiah said. “At the tournament, we take turns debating each side. It’s amazing because we’re just freshmen and we now know about how diplomatic relationships, the Chinese economy and gross domestic product.”

Trinity and Josiah nabbed second place for their argument in the Team Policy Debate category of the Class C Northern Division Speech and Debate Championship on Jan. 21 in Bigfork.

GFCC captured the Divisional Championship title and will move on to compete for the state title in Havre on Jan. 27 and 28.

Speech and debate isn’t all about cracking open heavy books and researching foreign policy. On the other end of the spectrum, freshman Avery Holden and senior Lauren Burk competed in the Humorous Oral Interpretation category.

“We’re unlike the debate people in that we get one piece to memorize, go over and make funnier,” Avery said. “One of the main things is keeping your energy up. That’s almost as important as how you do your speech.”

Avery and Lauren have been poring over stand-up comedy routines, rehearsing their material and tweaking their performance since the season began in October.

“I don’t find my speech funny anymore, but I pretend I do,” Lauren said.

Lauren drew inspiration from comedian John Mulaney for her speech. She said she specifically connected with a bit he does about his experiences in Catholic school. She won fourth place at the Divisional Championship.

“I could really relate,” Lauren said.

Avery begins to talk about his speech, but it’s not long before talking breaks into a performance of its own. His hand gestures and mocking voices instantly up the collective energy of the whole team.

“I mean, I’m a funny guy,” Avery said.

“That’s debatable,” members of the team chided back.

But the judges in Bigfork sided with Avery. He won first place for the Humorous Oral Interpretation speech he modeled after two routines by comedian Brian Regan.

GFCC’s other first-place winner, freshman Gracie Williams, secured the Dramatic Oral Interpretation category.

“Most of my pieces are sad usually, or scary,” Gracie said. “Mine is about bullying. You have to really feel the piece. If you want to win, you have to make the judge sad.”

District Court Judge John Kutzman and trial attorney Jason Holden volunteer as the head coaches of the Central Catholic Speech and Debate team and work to help the students craft the nuances of their speeches.

“There’s a lot of strategy selecting the right piece for the student,” Kutzman said. “The rest is honing their skills and practicing until their speeches are developed and polished.”

Holden said Kutzman is not afraid to spar with the students — and they’re not afraid to spar with him.

Both judges said they are proud of their team for their accomplishments.

Only the top six students from each category were selected to advance from the Divisional competition to state, Holden said. The students don’t know their scores when they are called by division and the rankings are announced.

The judges began by naming the eighth-place winner and then to the seventh. After the seventh-place student was called, the remaining six students knew they were going to state.

“It was very dramatic,” Holden said.

The team and GFCC Principal Vickie Donisthorpe said they are grateful for the support and time their coaches have devoted to making the team successful.

The Mustangs will compete next at Havre on Jan. 27 and 28.

Central Catholic High School Speech and Debate Divisional rankings

Lauren Burk - 4th Humorous Oral Interpretation; Liberty Caldwell - 4th Dramatic Oral Interpretation; Avery Holden - 1st Humorous Oral Interpretation; Trinity Holden - 2nd Team Policy Debate; Andre Perez - 4th Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Quin Pray - 5th Impromptu; Noah Schmidt - 7th Spontaneous Oral Interpretation; Josiah Shirley - 2nd Team Policy Debate; Gracie Williams - 1st Dramatic Oral Interpretation