Whitefish debate team repeats as divisional champions

Whitefish High School's speech and debate team won the Western Division title hands-down Saturday, walking away from the state-qualifying meet with a 130-53 win over Columbia Falls.

With the 77-point margin, the Bulldogs reasserted their season dominance.

"This was a real team effort in the fullest sense of the word," Whitefish head coach Beth Beaulieu said of the divisional tournament they hosted in Muldown Elementary and Whitefish High.

The team scored 66 points on the debate side and 64 points in speech events, making for a balanced attack.

"We had a team dinner on Friday and after a long, hard season, we asked the kids to stay focused and positive for just two more weeks, for Divisionals and State," Beaulieu said. "We got half of that job done Saturday at Whitefish.

"We're very proud of the way our team responded."

Following second-place Columbia Falls was Polson with 35 points. Loyola of Missoula took first in Class B with 119 points.

"Last week I said I believed Whitefish was the team to beat," Columbia Falls head coach Michael Christensen said. "I wasn't surprised that they beat us. But I was shocked by the enormity of the spread between the two teams.

"Based on the two tournaments leading into divisionals, I believed our kids had really gotten over the hump and were competitive with Whitefish," Christensen said. "It would not have surprised me to lose to Whitefish in Whitefish, but … to lose by over 70 points was shocking."

Individual results mean that Columbia Falls will take the youngest members of the team to state next weekend in Corvallis - no seniors placed high enough to qualify for state.

Whitefish, on the other hand, qualified 21 of its 26 competitors for state.

To score 130 points, Whitefish needed a lot of strong performances.

The Bulldog speakers came through with four first-place finishes and four seconds, along with 10 other top-eight, point-scoring placements.

Christensen applauded two Columbia Falls freshmen, Tashia Shupert and Maya Negron, for making the grade for state competition.

"That's just remarkable when freshmen can come in and do that well," he said. "Their work this year … I really want to be complimentary of them."

He said he expects Whitefish to win the Western Division state championship this year.

"I don't know of another program that has that kind of depth and that kind of power," Christensen said.

Beaulieu and Whitefish's debate coach, Gil Jordan, were grateful for community support of divisionals.

"It's a monumental effort to host a tournament like this," Jordan said.

"We really appreciate the parents of our team members for their patience and support all season long, and to the community members, over one hundred of them, who gave up a big chunk of their weekend to judge the events. We could not do this without them."

Below are Divisional results for Whitefish and Columbia Falls:

Original Oratory - 1. LeAnn Books, Whitefish; 2. Porsche Erekson, Whitefish; 4. Tashia Shupert, Columbia Falls; 8. Emilee Christensen, Whitefish

Serious Oral Interpretation - 1. Kelly Gemignani, Whitefish; 2. Annie Rottenbiller, Whitefish; 3. Brittany Calderwood, Columbia Falls

Humorous Oral Interpretation - 2. Natalie Jackson, Columbia Falls; 3. Sydney Jordt, Columbia Falls; 6. Heather Jurva, Columbia Falls

Memorized Public Address - 1. Allison Frieze, Whitefish; 4. Katie Deister, Whitefish; 5. Lindie Burgess, Columbia Falls; 6. Cassie Hollopeter, Columbia Falls

Impromptu Speaking - 1. Mo Muri, Whitefish; 8. Khai Schweitzer, Whitefish

Expository Speaking - 5. Maya Negron, Columbia Falls; 7. Carsyn Beach, Whitefish; 8. Emily Butz, Whitefish

Extemporaneous Speaking - 5. Jacob Fern, Whitefish; 6. Terri Luce, Columbia Falls; 7. Michelle Cronquist, Columbia Falls; 8. Dana Gross, Columbia Falls

Policy Team Debate - 2. Chausea Jacobson and Erica Calys, Whitefish; 3. Taylor Beach and Jessie Kuennen, Whitefish; 4. Andrew Dahlen and Danielle Fagre, Columbia Falls; 7. Chase Giacomo and Nick Grinrod, Whitefish; 8. Jacob Eubank and Nellie Lutz, Columbia Falls; 10. Vanesha Riley and Adeline Pepin (Western Division state qualifiers extend through 10th place because the Northern Division did not have enough to fill their berths)

Lincoln-Douglas Debate - 2. Shane Hanson, Whitefish; 4. Matt Gwiazdon, Whitefish; 6. Tiana Fredenberg, Columbia Falls; 7. David Harrison, Whitefish