Unbeaten Columbia Falls heads to divisional speech competition

Local speech and debate competitors will vie this weekend for a trip to the state tournament.

Columbia Falls and Whitefish high schools compete Saturday in the Northwest Class A Divisional Tournament, hosted this year by Libby High School. Both teams are looking forward to successful weekends and anticipate taking the bulk of their divisional competitors to state.

Columbia Falls is hoping to continue its undefeated season. In addition to seven team wins this year, Columbia Falls has racked up 19 individual first-place finishes.

Several of those were courtesy of Keri Potter and Stephanie Christensen, both seniors and defending state champions. Potter took the 2010 state title in Expository Speaking, and Christensen was the state’s top competitor in Original Oratory.

Both girls are competing in those events again this year.

Potter also competes in Serious Oral Interpretation and Christensen competes in Memorized Public Address. They have won those events at tournaments throughout the season.

Senior Jesse Flickinger also has been a solid competitor in his events, Impromptu Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking. He has won each event at least once this season, and at last year’s state tournament finished third and second, respectively, in those events.

“But we also have a lot of strength in competitors in individual events,” head coach Tara Norick said. “We have very few double-entered this year just because we have so many individuals who are strong in their events.”

One of those is Jennifer Jurva, a senior, the team’s strength in Expository Speaking, Norick said. Jurva came in second to Potter in that event at state in 2010.

Columbia Falls had a large team this season, with more than 40 competitors. Fourteen are seniors, Norick said.

“They gave us a strong team this year in leadership,” she said. “I have seniors in every event except Policy Debate.”

The team also has talented underclassmen, which bodes well for future seasons, she said.

She will take 26 competitors to the divisional meet, some of whom will compete in more than one event. Coaches may fill only 30 slots on divisional teams.

Deciding who would go to Libby “was a very painful process for me as a coach,” Norick said. “We actually have some depth in these events, and the kids have worked really hard.”

Whitefish head coach Gary Carmichael expects big things from his team this weekend.

“I think all our kids will be able to get through divisionals and move on to state,” he said.

That will be an impressive feat for a team that is nearly entirely made up of freshmen and sophomores. Whitefish had a handful of competitors return from last year’s team, which took third place at the Class A state tournament.

Despite the students’ relative inexperience, the team has done well this year, Carmichael said.

“They’re doing better and better. I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

Some of his freshman competitors have placed at every tournament this season, he added. Emily Morison, who competes in Humorous Oral Interpretation, and Sloan Ellis, who competes in Impromptu Speaking, have consistently performed well for Whitefish.

Senior Julie Peterman, who last year placed fifth in Original Oratory at the state tournament, has done well in that event all year, Carmichael said. He says Oratory is one of Whitefish’s best events.

“All our Original Oratory [competitors] have really good speeches,” he said.

Ten of Whitefish’s 18 team members will compete at the divisional meet. Some team members weren’t able to go, Carmichael said.

He said he expects his cross-valley rivals to be the team to beat at divisionals.

“Columbia Falls would certainly have to be the odds-on favorite of winning the tournament,” he said.

Regardless of how the weekend goes, Carmichael said his team has done well this year.

“It’s fun to see so much growth with freshmen,” he said. “Next year we’ll just get better and better.”

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