Glacier High School triumphs at Helena speech and debate tourney
The Glacier High School speech and debate team solidified its undefeated season with a commanding tournament victory in Helena over the weekend.
Glacier claimed first place with 191.5 points overall, edging out Bozeman High School’s 163 points at the Dec. 6-7 tournament. Flathead High School placed third with 128 points.
Glacier’s success was driven by standout performances across multiple events. First-place finishes came from Lillie Groom and Kyra Russell in Novice Policy Debate; Zaden Stout and Ayden Mintz in Duo Interpretation; and Ellie Fiala in Memorized Public Address.
Glacier head coach Greg Adkins praised the team’s resilience and focus, noting the team’s ability to rally after a challenging first day.
“I’m so, so proud of this team and their efforts, especially on Saturday,” Adkins said. "We didn’t have a very good first day, and the team demonstrated grit on Saturday, first catching Bozeman and then holding off their strong finish.”
Flathead students winning first place were Abigail O'Connell and Vikram Vatti in Public Forum Debate; Ada Milner in Program Oral Interpretation; and Collin Olson in Dramatic Interpretation.
“We continue to see growth and improvement with every tournament. It's a long season, and a lot of the points right now come from novice debate, which isn't offered at state. That changes everything,” Flathead head coach Shannon O’Donnell said. “For now, our goal for this year continues to be to focus on what's in front of us and on what we can do in the moment.”
Students will be competing at the Kalispell Western Regional on Friday and Saturday at Glacier and Flathead high schools. People interested in volunteering to judge speech and debate events may register online at kalispellspeechdebate.org.
Following is a list of local individual results.
Varsity Policy Debate
3. Owen Carpenter and Joshua Lee, Glacier
Novice Policy Debate
1. Lillie Groom and Kyra Russell, Glacier
2. Bryson Wakefield and Z. Belt, Glacier
Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate
4. Arianna Romero, Glacier
7. Johan Axelsen, Flathead
Public Forum Debate
1. Abigail O'Connell and Vikram Vatti, Flathead
2. Asher Stanfield and Jack Syverson, Glacier
Legislative Debate
3. Kaylee Hampton, Flathead
5. B. Poitra, Flathead
7. Alyssa Conrad, Glacier
8. Emmery Schmidt, Glacier
Impromptu Speaking
4. Erek Benson, Flathead
7. Atticus Cheman, Glacier
Extemporaneous Speaking
2. Jake Milone, Flathead
4. Fenton Liebe-Cohen, Flathead
8. Atticus Cheman, Glacier
Program Oral Interpretation
1. Ada Milner, Flathead
2. Lindy Porter, Flathead
3. Anya Rountree, Glacier
4. Calvin Casey, Glacier
5. Ellie Fiala, Glacier
6. Bronson Willcut, Flathead
Duo Interpretation
1. Zaden Stout and Ayden Mintz, Glacier
3. Noel Cantrell and Myla Lamson, Glacier
8. Layna Astley and Lindy Porter, Flathead
Humorous Interpretation
3. Kaylin Stein, Glacier
4. Eli Sanderson-Strutz, Glacier
6. Bridget Reed, Glacier
Dramatic Interpretation
1. Collin Olson, Flathead
6. Fallon Maas, Flathead
7. Noel Cantrell, Glacier
Original Oratory
3. Jacob Braach, Flathead
5. Claire Timm, Flathead
7. Isabelle McKoy, Glacier
Informative Speaking
3. Claire Timm, Flathead
4. Layna Astley, Flathead
8. Cielo Sallee, Glacier
Memorized Public Address
1. Ellie Fiala, Glacier
3. Anya Rountree, Glacier
4. Ada Milner, Flathead
5. Calvin Casey, Glacier
6. Raya Gronley, Glacier