Webster Club Enjoys Successful Weekend at The Glenbrooks
Posted on November 24th, 2006 by Bill Batterman (Category: Forensics, Public Forum Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Results, Policy Debate)
Marquette was well-represented at this year’s Glenbrooks, the largest speech and debate tournament in the country hosted by a high school. The Webster Club sent fifteen students to the northern suburbs of Chicago, one of the largest contingents of any school in Wisconsin, for top-notch competition in Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Public Forum debate as well as Dramatic Interpretation. While victories were hard to come by, the Hilltoppers had a great time in the Windy City and received valuable experience against exceptional competition.
In Varsity Policy debate, Marquette’s top team of Gaurav Bhatnagar and Nolan Wanecke cleared to the double-octafinals as the tournament’s 30th seed. After getting off to a solid 3-0 start in the preliminary rounds with wins over Shawnee Mission East High School (Prairie Village, Kansas), Loyola High School (Los Angeles, California), and New Trier Township High School (Winnetka, Illinois), the duo lost round four to the top team from Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville, Tennessee). A solid win in round five against fellow-Jesuit St. Ignatius High School (Cleveland, Ohio) put the Hilltoppers in good position, but a disappointing loss to Wayzata High School (Plymouth, Minnesota) left Gaurav and Nolan with a 4-2 record and made round seven a “must-win.” Paired against local rivals (and friends) from Brookfield Central High School (Brookfield, Wisconsin), Marquette prevailed and finished the prelims at 5-2.
A tough match-up in the doubles awaited as the Hilltoppers debated R.J. Giglio and Cameron Goldsmith from Caddo Magnet High School (Shreveport, Louisiana), the tournament’s third seed and one of only three teams to accumulate a perfect 7-0 record during the prelims. One of the most successful teams in the country, Caddo won the coin flip and elected to defend the negative. After a very close debate, R.J. and Cameron prevailed on a split decision with Brett Bricker (University of Kansas) and David Heidt (Emory University and the Westminster Schools) in the majority and Roy Levkowitz (Woodward Academy) voting for Marquette.
Despite the disappointing exit in the first elimination round, Gaurav and Nolan put together a performance to be proud of. In addition to becoming the first Marquette team to reach the elims since Ankur Aggarwal and Manav Bhatnagar finished second in the fall of 2001, Gaurav was recognized as the tournament’s 17th speaker out of a field of 372 debaters from throughout the country.
Marquette’s junior team of Garrett Fields and Mark Kettler also performed well at the Glenbrooks, managing a 4-3 record despite a very difficult preliminary draw. With losses to Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas (Dallas, Texas), Lexington High School (Lexington, Massachusetts), and The Greenhill School (Dallas, Texas), the duo debated three teams that reached the elimination rounds including the eventual champions (Greenhill). It was by far the best showing of the season for this promising team and is something to build on for the rest of their junior campaign.
The Webster Club was also represented in Junior Varsity Policy debate, a very competitive division that brings together the best second-year students from schools throughout the United States. Despite having the squad’s top second-year debater (Garrett Fields) competing in the varsity division, the Hilltoppers fielded two strong teams that each managed 2-4 records: Ben Benson and Jacob Sirus and Noah Charles and John O’Neill. After John was forced to withdraw from the tournament with an illness during the second day, Noah competed on his own and earned the division’s eighth speaker award, a very impressive accomplishment.
Rounding out the policy squad was the novice pair of David Glaubke and Michael Sirus, a Public Forum debater who filled in admirably in the policy division. While these freshmen managed only a 1-5 record, they nonetheless gained valuable experience and had an enjoyable time in Illinois.
While the policy squad formed more than half of Marquette’s entry, the Webster Club was also well-represented in the tournament’s other divisions.
In Lincoln-Douglas debate, junior Jacob Swan braved the incredibly competitive Varsity division that included 204 debaters from more than 30 states. Finishing with a 2-5 record, Jacob equalled the mark posted by fellow-Wisconsin competitors from Appleton East, Brookfield East, and Neenah and was bested only by Sheboygan North’s Noah Trilling (3-4). While another win or two would have been more satisfying, the LD team captain nonetheless gained valuable experience against top-notch debaters.
In the Junior Varsity LD division, fellow-junior Paul Foy (a second-year debater) racked up a 3-3 record at his first national tournament. Particularly gratifying for Paul was the manner in which he reached .500: after dropping his first three rounds, he righted his personal ship and was victorious in rounds four through six.
In addition to policy and LD, Marquette made their national circuit debut at the Glenbrooks in Public Forum debate. While they struggled to a 1-5 record, senior Dan Garces and junior Robert Schlaeger made Webster Club history and gained valuable exposure to the strategies used by teams in states as far away as California, New York, and Texas. As Marquette continues to build its Public Forum program into one of the best in Wisconsin, these two students will be remembered as pioneers who paved the way for future Hilltoppers in this exciting event.
Finally, junior Peter Andersen competed in Dramatic Interpretation, one of six individual events offered by the Glenbrooks. The captain of the Webster Club’s interpretation and acting team during the forensics season, Peter became the first “forensics” speaker from Marquette to enter a national tournament during the fall semester in several years. Performing a selection from Jeffrey Hatcher’s play Three Viewings entitled “Tell-Tale,” Peter received valuable feedback and got his first taste of national circuit forensic competition. Peter’s participation is sure to provide an excellent springboard for his Wisconsin forensics season and he will be counted on as one of the squad’s leaders when the Hilltoppers attempt to capture their fourth consecutive State Championship in April.