Last Friday, Grossmont College hosted the Annual Ray Dahlin Invitational in conjunction with Palomar College, bringing together multiple 2-year and 4-year schools from all across the region. As a result of the multiple awards won by the students, Saddleback emerged in first place in the Community College Sweepstakes! Coach Heidi Ochoa stated, “We have some amazing students and I am thrilled that their hard work is paying off. While we brought home a lot of awards, every single student competed with dignity and represented our school with honor.”
Unlike other tournaments, the Dahlin is noted for combining all the novice and open divisions into one group. This means that novices – who are in their first or second semester of competition – were competing head-to-head with students who may have been involved in speech and debate for multiple years. Co-Director and Coach Shawn O’Rourke says, “I love that they collapse the divisions at this tournament. Not only does it prepare students for what they may face at state and nationals, but it allows our novices to see what veteran competitors look like. And this tournament, in particular, was a success because we had many new competitors who made it to final rounds despite competing against a far more experienced field. Our novices proved that they are a force to be reckoned with!”
The full results were:
Chris Russo – 1st place and Top Speaker, Dramatic Interpretation.
Katie Carroll – Top Novice, Dramatic Interpretation.
Vincent Garduno – 7th place, Impromptu Speaking.
Bret Landen – 2nd place, Speech to Entertain.
Sophia Popovich – 3rd place, Top Novice, Speech to Entertain.
Co-Director and Coach Lucas Ochoa stated, “We are thrilled with the results, and it is especially awesome to see how well we did in STE (Speeches to Entertain), which is a humorous speech based on a topical subject, one of the most challenging events offered. Coach Heidi Ochoa, who is our lead coach in this event, continues to prove why Saddleback remains not just a successful program, but one of the funniest on the circuit.” He continued, “We are also thrilled with how well we did in the other events. The team is also coached by two part-timers, Dawne McClure and Dana-Jean Smith, and I know I speak on behalf of my fellow coaches and the students when I say how lucky we are to have the assistance of these dedicated part-time instructors.”
The tournament was also a fun experience for the students as the team was able to bump into some old friends. Dante Johnson and Natalie Dailey, both former members and officers on the team in previous years, are now competing with a partial Speech and Debate scholarship at Concordia University. Both students represented Saddleback at the state and national level and were able to share their experiences with new members of the squad while competing at the Dahlin. The coaches reported that the relationship they’ve established with Concordia has provided multiple students, like Dante and Natalie, with pathways to pursuing their goals and they expressed hopes to continue the tradition of sending more students to Concordia in the future.
Photo Credits: Saddleback College
The tournament also had a sad moment amidst all the celebration and success as it will be the last time Brandon Currie will be competing with the team. Brandon, a veteran of the Marine Corps and one of the students selected to represent Saddleback at last year’s state and national tournaments, is preparing to transfer in the spring. The young veteran who plans to major in Communication Studies has this to say about his time with the squad, “What I enjoyed about the team were the skills I acquired and being able to think on my feet and present myself in a professional manner at all times.”
Coach O’Rourke went on to say of Brandon, “He is a great student and a great member of the team. He will be missed but we are also proud that the team helped him get where he wanted to go. Just as with Natalie, Dante, and countless other students we have worked with, it is wonderful to see students transfer from the school and succeed.”
The team is now preparing for its first regional championship tournament in a few weeks and the coaches are all predicting it will be a terrific showing.
