Concordia hosts 2017 forensics tournaments for high school, college competitors

Published by Concordia University, Nebraska 7 years ago on Thu, Jan 26, 2017 11:42 AM
Members of the 2016-17 forensics team participated and worked two annual forensics tournaments Jan. 14-15 and Jan. 21.

Concordia University, Nebraska recently hosted two annual forensics tournaments for both college and high school speakers.

The Sleet and Snow Swing Invitational Jan. 14-15, 2017, brought in dozens of speakers from 12 colleges representing seven states. The Concordia University High School Speech Classic on Jan. 21, 2017, brought nearly 200 high school speakers from 13 high schools to Concordia.

“It is always a great experience to have these events on campus, as both a service to the college forensics community and a chance to introduce college forensics to high school students from across Nebraska,” said Andrew Moffitt, Concordia’s director of forensics. “I've heard from several schools whose students attended our tournaments, and they are grateful for the knowledge and kindness of our team and wider campus community. Building relationships with other schools and their students makes it a joy to host tournaments like these.”

At both tournaments, Concordia students ran the ballot table, judged events and worked in the tabulation room to tally the scores of the competitors. The Concordia forensics team competed in the Sleet and Snow Swing in addition to completing their hosting responsibilities.

“Being that our current team is largely made up of first and second year competitors, I am very proud of their dedication to improve, as well as their overall growth as a team,” added Moffitt.

Concordia’s forensics team will stay busy over the next two months with multiple tournaments across the region as they prepare for the National Christian College Forensics Championship, to be held in Glendale, Arizona on March 24-27, 2017. Additionally, the team will be preparing to attend the National Forensics Association National Championship, which will take place in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in mid-April.

The list of Concordia students who participated in the events includes (listed by state, then alphabetically by city and last name):

  • Emily Kollbaum, senior, Concordia, Mo.
  • Tationa Trice, sophomore, St. Louis, Mo.
  • Katie Funk, freshman, Clearwater, Neb.
  • Hannah Sugita, sophomore, Grand Island, Neb.
  • Aaron Ferguson, freshman, Hyannis, Neb.
  • Melody Niemoth, sophomore, Louisville, Neb.
  • Lindsay Range, freshman, Monroe, Neb.
  • Musa Fofana, senior, Seward, Neb.
  • Will Helmer, freshman, Seward, Neb.
  • Payton DeMers-Sahling, freshman, York, Neb.
  • Nora Friberg, freshman, York, Neb.
  • Faith Osborn, freshman, Oakes, N.D.