Last month the Saddleback Speech and Debate Team finished its competitive semester at the 2017 Pacific Southwest Collegiate Forensics Association Championship tournament with a flourish!
The regional competition held at Moorpark College brings together 2 year and 4-year schools from all across California and Arizona and is one of the largest full-service forensics tournaments in the nation.
The team proudly represented Saddleback in multiple debate and individual events, bringing home several medals and winning the Perpetual Sweepstakes Award! Co-Director of Forensics Shawn O’Rourke kept it short and sweet: “I couldn’t be prouder of these students. Hard work really does pay off.” Coach Dana Jean Smith added, “Our squad may be small, but we pack a punch!” Here is the full list of student achievements:
Joe Hana – Bronze, IPDA Debate.
Vincent Garduno – Bronze, IPDA Debate.
Sophia Popovivh – Finalist, Novice After Dinner Speaking, 3rd place in Novice Programmed Oral Interpretation.
Bret Landen – 3rd place, Junior After Dinner Speaking.
Kathryn Carroll – 3rd place, Novice Dramatic Interpretation.
Lindsey Bouchard – 3rd place, Junior Dramatic Interpretation.
Chris Russo – 4th Place, Open Dramatic Interpretation.
Erica Delamare – 2nd Place, Open Communication Analysis.
These awards, coupled with those of previous squads, are why Saddleback College took home the D.L. Miller Perpetual Sweepstakes award. This is a traveling honor that recognizes teams for their cumulative achievements over multiple years and represents the culmination of the hard work of several iterations of the Saddleback Speech and Debate Team. “This award is an acknowledgment of the tradition of excellence that our team constantly strives for. It reminds us all that we are part of a legacy,” Co-Director of Forensics Lucas Ochoa reported. That legacy would not exist without the effort of students like Erica Delamare, a second-year member of the team and the current ASG President. She states, “Being a part of this team has helped me to grow as a more confident student and person. The encouragement from my teammates and the coaches has fostered a supportive learning environment, and I am so grateful for the opportunities the team has provided.”
Yet the students and the school were not the only ones to come home from Moorpark College with an award. Professor and coach, Heidi Ochoa, the former Co-Director of Forensics for the team and a well-known face at numerous campus committees and meetings, was this year’s recipient of the Wyman Howe Award. The Wyman Howe is granted to coaches whose dedication and commitment to student success represent the very best in collegiate forensics. Coaches are nominated by their peers and then selected by a committee. In the speech in which Professor Ochoa was given the award, PSCFA President Ashley Nuckels-Cuevas read numerous comments written by members of the community in support of Heidi’s years of dedication to the activity. Courtney Anderson, former Director of Forensics at Orange Coach College was quoted, “Heidi has been an integral part of the forensics community. A star performer, a brilliant coach, and an amazing friend. I couldn’t imagine a well-run tournament without her.” Her former coach and mentor Christopher Desurra concluded a glowing testimony to Heidi’s contributions by saying, “She has more determination, fire, and passion than most people I know. I’m excited to see where her boots march her next, but God help anything that gets in her way.”
When asked about her thoughts concerning this award, the always humble Heidi has this to say: “First and foremost, I am so incredibly proud of our student’s accomplishments this semester! The personal and professional breakthroughs that they are making are a testament to the power of performance; particularly the power of performing about social inequities! Second, as a community college student, who graduated from a continuation high school and who at one moment in her life did not believe in her writing or performance abilities, whose faith in herself was restored by her Speech and Debate mentors, I am so deeply honored by this award. My heart is filled by this recognition because I feel like it just may be a sign that I’ve helped some students discover their inner flame, which I don’t think I would have discovered if I had not stumbled into the Orange Coast College Speech & Debate squad room.”
With this final tournament, the Saddleback team has officially wrapped up an exciting competitive semester. The coaches are excited to see what comes next for this team. New coach, Dawn McClure said, “Just wait and see what we have next!”
