Two Havre speakers earn alternate status for nationals

Press release

Although Havre High School took a small team to the national qualifier speech and debate tournament at Great Falls over the weekend, it saw success, with two students getting up on stage to be named as alternates to the National Speech and Debate Association national tournament, set this year in June in Birmingham, Alabama.

Four-year Havre High speaker Ethan Smith, a senior, competing in dramatic interpretation against more than 50 speakers from Class AA, A and BC schools, again made his mark in preliminary rounds, receiving first out of eight speakers in four rounds with one low mark, a fourth-place ranking.

That broke Smith into the semifinals round in fourth place. His ranks in semifinals, second and two fifth-place ranks, just missed putting him in the top six for the finals round, and Smith took seventh. But one of the qualifiers in dramatic interp is unable to compete in that event in Birmingham, leaving Smith as third alternate to represent Montana at the national tournament.

Senior Trenton Smith drew tough opponents in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the double-elimination debate competition. He lost to speakers from Bozeman and Hellgate High School from Missoula, including the Class AA state champion, both of whom ended up as national qualifiers. Smith lost both debates in rounds in which the judges commented how close the decision was.

Smith switched to the congress competition Saturday, in which students present bills and debate them as in a real lawmaking body. He earned second place by the end of the first three-hour session, and was in a tie for second place after the final session. Smith lost the tie-breaking procedure, ending in third place and qualifying as first alternate for nationals.

Also competing for Havre at the national qualifier in Lincoln-Douglas debate were junior Johnny Valadez, who switched to the event from impromptu speaking halfway through the season, and second-year LD-er Kaleb Gardner. Both went 0-2 in close rounds.

Junior Brady Ophus and sophomore Jayne Gardner competed at their first tournament in original oratory. The two had competed all year in impromptu speaking, and had to switch events because impromptu is not offered at the national qualifier. Neither broke into semifinals, although head Havre High School coach Tim Leeds said that, as for all the Havre speakers, the tough competition at Great Falls was “a great experience for the Blue Pony speakers.”