By Tim Leeds
Ever disagree with a call from an official? Maybe thought that the call wasn't close to being a foul?
Now's your chance to make the call.
Havre High School will host the Class A-B-C State Speech and Debate Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 28-29.
Despite a good response from the community, the Havre speech coaching staff said more than 40 judges for the tournament are still needed, some in drama rounds, mostly for team and Lincoln-Douglas debate.
Havre head coach Peggy Fink said that this is a large statewide tournament with many rounds of competition and many competitors. Each A-B-C school can qualify up to 48 students for the tournament, including 18 in drama and 30 in speech and debate.
Nearly 500 students are scheduled to compete in various events for 14 individual state championships, Fink said. And the tournament continues to grow.
The meet last year was increased from six to eight competitors from each of the four divisions. More and more schools are fielding teams, as well, Fink said. Many recent education graduates are forming new teams at smaller schools, she stated.
Many judges are needed for a tournament this size.
Debate coach Axel Schmaing said 18 judges are needed for team debate and eight for Lincoln-Douglas debate alone in each of the preliminary rounds, with more needed for speech rounds and still more for drama. Judges are not allowed to judge competitors whom they have seen in previous rounds.
The increasing tournament size has created a need for more judges. Plus, it seems to be getting harder and harder to find
