In a tournament of 32 schools and hundreds of debaters, the Pritzker Speech and Debate Team saw each of its six competitors win at least twice at the William Fremd Debate Tournament in Palatine on Saturday.
Senior Monica Garcia defeated last year’s national champion in Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate for the second time (she beat the champ least year, too), en route to her 8th place speaker ranking out of 36 JV debaters. Besides handing last year’s national champion her only loss of the day, Ms. Garcia beat a second opponent from Barrington High School and a third from Schaumburg High School.
Senior Ben Martinez took down competitors from perennial powerhouse Glenbrook North and Granite City High School near St. Louis. Against the former, the judge noted Mr. Martinez’s “calm, cool, and confident delivery” and “good concrete examples.” In the latter victory, Mr. Martinez impressed the judge with his “very strong stance and voice” and “great tone!”
One judge remarking on her “excellent diction,” freshman Nadia Segura defeated two opponents from the prestigious Illinois Math and Science Academy and a third from Belleville East High School, also in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Ms. Segura finished 16th out of 48 Novice debaters.
Freshman Priscila Bautista won three rounds at her first-ever debate tournament, beating other Novices from New Trier, Barrington, and Schaumburg. Against the New Trier debater, Ms. Bautista was “well-spoken” and impressed her judge by attacking all of her opponent’s contentions.
Junior Michael Jasso, receiving compliments on both his evidence and his hair from a judge, beat one debater from Carl Sandburg High School and another from New Trier.
Freshman Adrian “Technicalities” Ochoa – “articulate and thoughtful,” according to one judge – toppled two debaters from Belleville East. Another judge remarked on Mr. Ochoa’s “good, loud, clear speech.”
Observing these speeches, often clear and occasionally loud, freshmen Iyanna King, Jazlyn Zavala, and Mike Guzman intend to debate when the team returns to competition later this month.
Mr. Rosentel's Website 