Saddleback College’s Speech and Debate Team started its competitive semester early this Spring, sending a small squad to compete at the prestigious Close to the Coast tournament hosted by Orange Coast College this past Saturday. “Close to the Coast is a great tournament. It brings top competitors from all over the nation, but since it is so early in the semester we decided to bring just a small squad,” stated Co-Director of Forensics and Coach, Shawn O’Rourke.
Saddleback is coming off an incredibly successful Fall semester in which the team brought home multiple awards including a perpetual sweepstakes championship from the PSCFA regional championship tournament. This semester seems to be no different with Saddleback’s small squad coming home with some top awards from the OCC tournament. Vincent Garduno, one the team’s talented new novices, took 2nd place in Novice Impromptu. Coach Dana Jean Smith was thrilled with Garduno’s performance saying, “Vincent has had an incredible first semester and it looks like Spring is going to be even better! He is a hard worker and it is always nice to see when that hard work pays off.”
Kathryn Carroll, another new student whose sister also competed for the team last year, took home a 1st place award in Novice Dramatic Interpretation. The first-year coach, Dawne McClure, a seasoned former competitor from Mt. Sac and Bradley University who completed his Masters at Illinois State University, reports that “Interpretation is one of the hardest genres in competitive forensics. Kathryn has mastered it quickly and competed against many talented students. I predict big things for her this year.”
Co-Director, coach, and recent recipient of a Certificate of Appreciation from the Sigma Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Gamma Sigma for Inspiring Teaching, Lucas Ochoa, summarized the day’s events by saying, “Our team is smaller than other schools but we are focused and committed. The students work hard and I know I speak for the rest of the coaching staff when I say that I am exceptionally proud of them all and am proud to be a part of this program.”
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.
Photo Credit: Saddleback College
