The Saddleback Speech and Debate Team was in full force at Cal State University Long Beach on the weekend of December 6th-8th. Saddleback finished 7th overall amongst community colleges and competed against over 40 different colleges and universities.
Among the schools competing were Eastern Michigan University, Rice, and Point Loma. Incredibly, the schools that finished ahead of Saddleback had more than 50-60 additional students to Saddleback’s 23 students, yet Saddleback still managed to place in the top 7 for the second year in a row.
Coach Lucas Ochoa stated, “We had three returning students and to be able to achieve better results than last year has me very excited about the second half of the season. We are in the midst of establishing a winning culture here and with the addition of debate and limited prep, the results are speaking for themselves.” Debate and Limited Prep Coach, Shawn O’Rourke added, “I’m exceptionally proud of the students this semester. The hard work is paying off and I feel that this upcoming semester has limitless potential.”
Co-Director Heidi Ochoa stated,” “To take 7th place out of 41 schools is a huge feat considering 85% percent of our team joined a month ago. Over the winter break the coaching staff plans to prepare our newbies who are demonstrating readiness to compete with the “big-dogs” at State Championships and Nationals. The Saddleback Team will give the schools that are currently taking the lead a run for their money. We are sure of it.”
Finally, Co director Larry Radden stated, “I’m so proud of the work ethic and commitment to team-spirit and the skill-sets of our Saddleback Forensics students. That in tandem with being surrounded by the talents of amazing coaches, Heidi Ochoa, Luca’s Ochoa, and Shawn O’Rourke makes my job both creative and thrilling on a daily basis. I’m so proud of the tournament success and I would like to highlight our Gold in Debate that Shawn O’Rourke solely coached. I’m so excited about Spring 2014 and it promises to be another amazing year!”
The results are:
Dennis Meador
4th Place Open Programmed Oral Interpretation
2nd Place Open After Dinner Speaking
Bailey Prince
Gold Medal Novice Debate
3rd Place Junior Impromptu Speaking
Sina Riahi
Finalist Novice Informative
Carley Lassalette
Finalist Novice Informative
Tyler Kline
Gold Medal Novice Debate
Finalist Junior Impromptu Speaking
Patrick Leahy
4th Novice Impromptu
Danny Roy
2nd Place Novice Programmed Oral Interpretation
Kelly Wobst
Finalist Novice Programmed Oral Interpretation
The Saddleback Forensics Team started in the 1970s and prides itself on offering students the ability to create innovative arguments for future writing and speaking engagements to strengthen their critical thinking skills and to better communicate with others. On the forensics team, students write, rehearse, and perform at 6-7 tournaments against students from Universities and Community Colleges to qualify for the national tournament. The students representing Saddleback at the national tournament have placed above several competitors representing institutions throughout the year, including: Concordia University, Point Loma, California State University, Los Angeles, California State University, Long Beach, and UCLA.
Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community. Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals. For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu and for Fine Arts information, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.
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Nina Welch
Fine Arts Public Information Officer
Saddleback College
28000 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
