Helena, MT—Two new team members began their Carroll College Talking Saints forensics team careers by reaching the championship round of The Teaching Tournament and placing second.
Davey Erickson of Chester, Montana, and Kimber Koteskey of Great Falls reached the championship final at The Teaching Tournament, a September 13-14 online tournament that drew 12 colleges from eight states including Carleton University from Ottawa, Ontario. Other teams hailed from Colorado, New Hampshire, Florida, Illinois, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
“Kimber and Davey had never debated before when they arrived a month ago, but they worked so hard that everyone was cheering them on,” said coach Brent Northup. “They narrowly lost the championship round against Idaho State University. All of our students huddled in front of a big screen in the Forensics Room to watch the online final round. Kimber and Davey are lovely human beings which made their success even sweeter.”
The Teaching Tournament is an early-semester event which offers workshops followed by a tournament, aimed at novices. The tournament promises “Education before competition. Teaching before trophies.” This year the workshops included a session hosted by the Irish National champions, as well as “Brent for Beginners,” a novice workshop for students hoping to go from “zero to hero” over the course of the morning.
Carroll’s new debaters competed, while all the Saints upper class debaters served as judges, organizers and willing partners for schools who had a stranded speaker, seeking to compete.
The Carroll students loved the weekend.
“The journey from first hearing about the forensics team as a high school senior, all the way to my first real tournament this weekend has been an exciting adventure…an incredible experience, and loads of fun,” said Erickson, an environmental science major.
“I got to put into practice everything that I have been learning and see firsthand how the world of debate functions,” said Koteskey, a communication major whose parents watched her rounds online. “I was very thankful to surpass my expectations. I enjoyed debating with my partner, Davey.”
The Talking Saints newcomers include one who grew up in Cuba and another from Japan.
“This was such a lovely experience for me,” said Sora Kawai, an exchange student from The University of Tokyo, who is majoring in international relations. “I learned so much. I feel that I could not have done it without my partner Lily’s (Vickers) support. She really guided me and gave me confidence, and I’m very thankful for that.”
“I was nervous,” said Roberto Barrios, a pre-med student who was raised in Cuba and has lived in Brazil. “What began with hesitation ended as a truly enriching journey that left me inspired to keep raising my voice.”
Roberto’s partner, Thuymi Tran, a biochemistry major from Portland, Oregon, also had no previous debate experience, but is now hooked.
“Genuinely such an amazing experience and a lovely introduction to the chaos of BP debate,” said Tran. “Putting our training into action was incredibly rewarding, and I'm so proud of how everyone did!”
For Vickers, the biggest reward came from supporting her partner.
“When I joined the team, I was very adamant about not liking debate. Now, I'm glad I was told to give it a try,” said Vickers, who is majoring in anthrozoology. “Working with Sora this last month has been amazing and I can't wait to see what we can do in the future.”
The new members experienced some speed bumps, of course, but they remain encouraged.
“I’m excited to grow more and more in my love for debate,” said Erickson.
“I can’t wait to see my new friends again,” said Tran, who enjoyed debating the Air Force cadets and the Canadians.
Kawai, who had only been in the United States a few weeks when she stood up to give her first speech, was inspired by the tough rounds, no matter the result.
“I realized how much more I need to grow,” said Kawai, who sought out the Carroll coach after reading about the Talking Saints. “Watching other debaters made me want to work harder and improve faster so that I can catch up with everyone. I’m excited to practice more, learn from each round, and give better speeches.”
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