Kalispell speech teams at the top as usual

Which is the team to beat this speech and debate season?

It depends on who you ask, but local coaches agree the top Class AA contender is a Kalispell team.

“Without a doubt, it’s Glacier,” Flathead High School head coach Karen Downes said.

“It’s Flathead, for sure,” said Greg Adkins, head coach at Glacier High School.

Either prediction might be true; the teams are consistently among the top three in Montana. They were neck and neck at last year’s state tournament, with Flathead finishing in third place just five points behind its crosstown rival. Bozeman High School was the 2010 state champion.

Teams have only been practicing for a couple of weeks, but the inaugural meet is Saturday.

Glacier High School is hosting this year’s Kalispell Kickoff Tournament, which includes teams from eight high schools. In addition to junior varsity and varsity squads from Glacier and Flathead, teams from Missoula Sentinel, Missoula Big Sky, Corvallis, Hamilton, Darby and Libby will compete.

“A lot of kids are nervous about competing this quick,” Adkins said. “But the kickoff is all about jumping in and getting going.”

Adkins said his team will be strong this year, despite a lack of depth in most events. He anticipates big wins for seniors Brandon Simpson and Ashley Berger, who have been strong competitors for the last two years.

“They’re going to be the team to beat in Policy Debate this year,” he said.

Other strong performers include Tanner Maroney, who competed as a freshman at last year’s National Forensic League competition. His sister, Quinn Maroney, made finals in Extemporaneous Speaking at last year’s state tournament, and Caroline Houser competed at nationals after finishing third in Memorized Public Address and Serious Oral Interpretation at last year’s state tournament.

“Those are our studs this year,” Adkins said.

While he says Flathead is the stiffest competition his orators will face, there are other teams that could give Glacier a run for its money. Bozeman always is a top team, but Adkins also expects tough teams from two other Class AA schools.

“I think Missoula Sentinel could surprise a lot of people. They have a large program — the third- or fourth-largest in the state,” he said. “And Missoula Big Sky is kind of a sleeper. They have some really good, good kids.”

Despite the competition, Glacier is gunning for a state title, he said.

“Last year ended with a kind of bittersweet ending. It was the best season we’d ever had, and there were a lot of things we were really proud of. But we thought we could win state,” Adkins said.

“When we didn’t win state, it was one of those good lessons to learn.”

This year’s team has “probably a bigger mountain to climb than we did last year,” he said. “This year we rebuild and reload a little bit, but that’s probably true of everybody.”

It’s true at Flathead, Downes said. The team has about a 50/50 split of new competitors and returners — including some of last season’s top speakers — and a new head coach.

Downes has taken over for Kala Lougheed, who had to step down for medical reasons. She expects to return as an assistant coach toward the end of the season.

Before taking the helm, Downes was an assistant coach who oversaw Policy Debate teams. This year she is coaching memorized events.

She expects Flathead to be strong in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, where the team has four top competitors. Emily Stoick, Hannah Wilson, Sam Watson and Zac Parker finished fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively, at last year’s state tournament.

“We’re pretty excited about having them all back,” Downes said.

While doing well at tournaments throughout the season is important, Downes said she wants her team to maintain a long view.

“I think quite honestly our goal for the season is just to build steadily and keep our focus on January, on the state tournament,” she said.

Like Adkins, Downes expects tough competitors from the returning state champions. But she’s convinced Glacier will be even tougher.

“I think they’re definitely the team to beat,” she said. “With Glacier, it’s kind of like competing against your best friend. You don’t want anyone else to beat them, but you don’t want them to beat you either.”

The Kalispell Kickoff kicks off at 8 a.m. Saturday at Glacier High School. Rounds are scheduled for 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.; the awards ceremony is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in the Glacier performance hall.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.