Havre speakers compete in Columbia Falls

Press release

A young Havre High School speech and debate team saw the toughest competition so far of the season at a two-day tournament in Columbia Falls over the weekend, and though no one brought home any awards, head coach Tim Leeds said he was pleased with their performance.

“We have some talented competitors this year, so I was hoping some people would place, but with the level of competition there, the kids got some excellent experience and some great comments from judges,” Leeds said.

The tournament saw teams including powerhouses like host Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Big Timber, Loyola Sacred Heart, Corvallis, and Hamilton as well as squads from AA schools Flathead High School in Kalispell and Big Sky High School in Missoula.

Leading the charge for the Blue Ponies was first-year speaker Alex Barkus, who received a first-place, second-place and two fourth-place rankings in preliminary rounds to break into semifinals, but did not make the cut into finals.

In debate, third-year competitor Kaleb Gardner — the only Blue Pony at Columbia Falls who was not first-year — won two rounds in preliminary competition in Lincoln-Douglas debate, as did first-year public forum debaters Eric Harrison and Xavier Ulano, with both just missing a chance to break into outrounds. Havre’s other debaters, LillieAnn Mecklenburg in LD and the public forum teams of Tony Antley and Sydney Scheresky-O’Neil and Joram and Randolph and Noah Teasly, each pulled out one win in prelims.

First year impromptu speaker Jordan Jarman received a first-place finish in one preliminary round but did not make the cut to break into semifinals.

Also competing for Havre at Columbia Falls were Mackenzie Parrotte in impromptu, Barrett Kilgore and Mallory Schaub in dramatic oral interpretation of literature, Niko Fialkosky in extemporaneous speaking and Kylee Thomas in original oratory.

The team next travels to Laurel for a tourmament Saturday, then to the eastern divisional tournament in Sidney Jan. 20.

“The Laurel tournament will be just as tough as Columbia Falls, with the top Class A competition from the east and powerhouses from BC schools there competing,” Leeds said. ”I am hoping we do well there and continue to learn and apply the experience we are getting to do top-notch work at Sidney.”