Welcome To The Webster Club!
Debate, Forensics, and Mock Trial at Marquette University High School
Home to one of the nation's most successful Debate, Forensics, and Mock Trial programs, Webster Club offers Marquette University High School students the opportunity to participate in a variety of speech activities and compete against the best and brightest that our city, state, and country have to offer. [Read More About Webster Club]
Webster Club Kicks Off 2007-2008 With Hilltopper Classic
Posted on September 24th, 2007 by Bill Batterman (Category: Public Forum Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Results, Policy Debate)
The Webster Club kicked off the 2007-2008 season by hosting the ninth annual Hilltopper Classic at Marquette University High School. Thirty schools from five states (Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and California) made the trip to Milwaukee for the largest tournament in Wisconsin in recent memory. For the first time, the finalists in Varsity Policy Debate also received a bid to the National Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky. The Hilltopper Classic is the only tournament in Wisconsin to enjoy “bid status” and the 2007 edition marks the first TOC qualifying tournament in Wisconsin since the mid-1990s. Marquette’s students and parents went to great lengths to ensure that we provided a positive and fulfilling experience for our guests and we were marvelously successful in reaching our goal.
While many Webster Club students were serving as volunteers, a relatively small squad made their season debut by competing at the tournament. The Hilltoppers were represented in the Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Novice Policy fields and were very successful in all three.
In Public Forum, the team of Robert Schlaeger and Jacob Sirus posted a 4-2 record in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the semifinals as the tournament’s fourth seed where they were defeated by the eventual champions from Appleton East. John O’Neill and Matthew Waldoch also opened their season with a solid performance, notching the same 4-2 record but missing the break to semifinals based on speaker points.
In Lincoln-Douglas, five Hilltoppers vied for the title including our top two competitors. Junior Sam Hope, fresh off a rewarding summer institute experience at the National Symposium for Debate, breezed through the prelims with a 5-1 record, dropping only his first round to Chris Conway of New Trier. Advancing to elimination rounds as the second seed, Sam managed to exact revenge as he defeated Conway on a split decision in the semifinals. In the final round, Sam was defeated by Appleton West’s Stephanie Gill. He was also named the tournament’s fifth-best speaker.
Team Captain Jacob Swan had a rough first appearance, managing only a 3-3 record, but his leadership was nonetheless vital to the success of the squad. Despite his record, Jacob finished as the tournament’s third speaker and is sure to bounce back at Nicolet. Making their debuts at the Hilltopper Classic were Nick Nassif and Ryan Welsh, each of whom posted a 2-4 record while gaining valuable experience against more advanced competition; Nassif was also recognized as the ninth speaker. Rounding out the squad was junior Tom Matusiak who made a strong return to debate after a one-year hiatus, managing only one win but very respectable speaker points.
Six other Webster Club students also made their debuts at the Hilltopper Classic as the exciting novice policy squad was unveiled for the first time. With a deep, smart, and dedicated group of young men on-board, this year’s novice policy team promises to be one of the best in Marquette’s distinguished history and they got off to a wonderful start at their home tournament. After five preliminary rounds, the teams of Alex Kendall and Sam Scheurell and Alex Beck and Cameron Graff both accumulated 4-1 records and were seeded first and second, respectively. They advanced to semifinals without debating and were each victorious in the semis, defeating teams from Rufus King and Appleton East to close-out the championship.
The other two teams also debated very well, with Michael Hoffmann and Jack Mackay posting a 2-3 mark while Austin O’Dea and Ander Stanton went 1-5. Marquette also laid claim to four of the top ten speaker awards: Jack Mackay was second, Michael Hoffmann was fifth, Alex Kendall was sixth, and Cameron Graff was ninth.
All things considered, it was a very successful weekend. Next week the team will travel to Nicolet before beginning its split-squad schedule the following week with trips to New Trier (Illinois) and Rufus King. Photos from the Hilltopper Classic will be posted soon; if you took any photos while at the tournament, please email them to Mr. Batterman. Full results in all divisions are available at Wisconsin Forensics Daily.
Invitation To The 2007 Hilltopper Classic at MUHS
Posted on August 12th, 2007 by Bill Batterman (Category: News)
Dear Colleagues,
You are cordially invited to attend the 2007 Hilltopper Classic at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, WI. After a one-year hiatus, the MUHS Webster Club is proud to return to the state and national calendar with a top-notch invitational tournament offering fine hospitality and excellent competition and judging.
The 8th Annual Hilltopper Classic will take place on Friday, September 21st and Saturday, September 22nd with competition offered in Varsity and Novice Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Public Forum Debate. For the first time, finalists in Varsity Policy Debate will earn a bid to the National Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky.
On behalf of the Webster Club and the entire Marquette University High School community, I look forward to hosting you here in beautiful Milwaukee.
Sincerely,
Bill Batterman Director of Debate & Forensics, Tournament Director Marquette University High School
The complete invitation is available on cross-x.com.
Happy Holidays! Photos and Results Updated
Posted on December 16th, 2006 by Bill Batterman (Category: Site News)
The Webster Club website has recently been updated with extensive content from the fall semester of 2006. In particular, photos are now available on the results pages for the following tournaments:
- Grapevine
- Wake Forest
- Iowa Valley
- New Trier and Rufus King
- West Bend
- Iowa Caucus
- Michigan and Brookfield Central
- Janesville
The accomplishments section of the site has also been updated with the squad’s feats from the fall semester of the 2006-2007 season. With the Hilltoppers’ last tournament of 2006 in the books, the team is enjoying a well-deserved respite from debate competition while they complete their first semester exams and celebrate the Holiday season.
The debate team will be back in action the first weekend in January for the prestigious Southern Bell Forum at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. The calendar’s turn to 2007 will also mark the beginning of the forensics and mock trial seasons as the full Webster Club prepares for an exciting few months of intense competition.
On behalf of the entire coaching staff, I would like to personally wish each and every student, parent, alumni, and supporter of Marquette University High School’s Webster Club a safe and happy holiday season. Merry Christmas!
Gaurav Bhatnagar Honored With 2006-2007 Wisconsin Debate Coaches’ Association Scholarship
Posted on December 12th, 2006 by Bill Batterman (Category: News, Policy Debate)
One of the most accomplished debaters in Wisconsin’s history, senior Gaurav Bhatnagar was awarded one of two Wisconsin Debate Coaches’ Association Scholarships at this past weekend’s Wisconsin State Debate Tournament. While the monetary award is small ($300), the scholarship is the most prestigious recognition available to Wisconsin high school debaters and Gaurav is only the fourth student from Marquette University High School to receive the award since its inception in 1993. The previous winners included:
- Kevin Thom - 2000
- Manav Bhatnagar - 2002
- Brian Stepp - 2003
Established to recognize outstanding forensic competitors who represent the values of the organization both inside and outside of debates, the official description of the scholarship is as follows:
The WDCA Scholarship is a $300 award presented to two 12th grade debaters of WDCA member schools who have demonstrated expertise in Policy, Lincoln-Douglas or Public Forum Debate, sportsmanship, scholarship, and leadership in school and community activities. Our recipients have shown integrity through action.
Gaurav was selected from a pool of outstanding applicants on the basis of his competitive success, community service, and good citizenship within the debate community. The following excerpt from Mr. Batterman’s recommendation letter summarizes his qualifications:
Both inside and outside of the debate round, Gaurav has proven to be an exceptionally talented young man with a love and respect for his peers and a passion for the activity that makes him a deserving candidate for recognition by the WDCA. … Despite his competitive success, Gaurav remains humble. He is respectful of his peers and is a model citizen of the debate community, unwilling to succumb to the temptations of arrogance and elitism. One of the most popular debaters on the national circuit, he is always willing to share his time with other students, coaches, and judges. … I can think of no more deserving candidate for recognition by the Wisconsin Debate Coaches’ Association than Gaurav Bhatnagar.
Congratulations to this most deserving young man on behalf of the entire Webster Club!
Triumph and Tragedy at the First-Ever WDCA/WHSFA Wisconsin State Debate Tournament
Posted on December 10th, 2006 by Bill Batterman (Category: Public Forum Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Results, Policy Debate)
The Wisconsin Debate Coaches’ Association and the Wisconsin High School Forensic Association hosted the first-ever combined Wisconsin State Debate Tournament this past weekend in Hortonville. Students from 35 schools gathered for competition in Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Public Forum debate and the Webster Club racked up a number of outstanding accomplishments.
Most impressively, the Hilltoppers cleared to the elimination rounds in all three Varsity switch-sides divisions. Marquette became the first school ever to do so in just the second year that Public Forum has been offered as a sanctioned event. In total, six Webster Club students advanced to the elimination rounds and another ten represented Marquette at the tournament. With sixteen total competitors, Marquette boasted one of the largest entries of any school in the state.