The Green River High School Speech and Debate team wrapped up its regular season with another first-place finish.
With 116 points Green River claimed first place, Kelly Walsh took second with 25 points, while Natrona County grabbed third with 18 points. Sixteen teams attended the Worland Tournament.
“Having a competition right before state is very helpful because it gets the kids in a competition mindset and they are able to practice their pieces and debate their cases right before we travel to state,” head coach Carina Stulken said.
The GRHS team will try for its seventh state title. They have left state with five championships in a row.
“We have been very successful; and so we absolutely have a big target on our back. The other 4A schools would love to be the ones to upset our state championship streak,” Stulken said. “We by no means have this in the bag; students will have to fight for this victory.”
The Wyoming High School Activities Association states each school can only have 18 entries.
Those representing Green River are Jeremy Adiano, Sydney Burbank, Margaret Fisher, Victoria Gilliam, Alan Halverson, Patrick Harvey, Haylee Heiner, Savannah Hook, Katarina Knight, Sarah Sullivan, Alexander Marchal, Gregory Marchal, Patrick Marchal, Emma Nathan, Kirsti Patterson, JD Richardson, Sheridan Stock, Phaedon Jones and Kaitlyn Tyler.
“I believe the intent is to level the playing field in terms of school size. For example, the Green River team is so large we can field a lot of competitors and so it forces only the best of the best to go head to head,” Stulken said. “It also makes it very difficult with the size and talent on our team to pair it down to our best 18.”
To select a state team, Stulken looks at each student’s overall records for the entire season. She tries to determine whether or not they will be competitive against those they believe will be at state from other schools.
“Picking the state team is a very agonizing decision as a coach. There are students who will never make a state squad and many deserve a shot, but with only 18 entries we have to make up the most competitive team we can,” Stulken said.
Stulken believes the biggest competition will probably come from the Cheyenne schools, however, all of the schools in the 4A division have talent.
“I expect state to be extremely close this year perhaps even by a few points which is another reason choosing the state team is very difficult,” she said.
“One wrong choice could result in a second-place finish or lower.”
Worland Results
Congress finals: John Richardson, sixth place, Kirsti Patterson, fourth place, Victoria Gilliam, third place, Savannah Hook, second place, Alan Halverson, first place
Semifinals: Jesse Lauze
Senate finals: Kolbi Schnazenbach, first place, Tristan Gilmore, fourth place
Drama semifinals: Jon Howard
Duet semifinals: Kat Knight and Haylee Heiner, Amy Grass and Sierra Brown, Leslie Patterson and Reina Kropf
Phaedon Jones and Johnny Makie, sixth place
Lincoln Douglas debate: Victoria Gilliam, first place, Kaitlyn Tyler, third place
Public forum debate: JD Richardson and Maggie Fischer, third place
Cross examination debate: Kirstie Patterson and Jeremy Adriano, first place,
Savannah Hook and Alexander Marchal, second place, third-place tie Hayley Lause and Jesse Lause and Gregory and Patrick Marchal
Impromptu: Ali Dewey, first place
Leona Grimes: semifinalist
Poetry: Kat Knight, fifth place, Sierra brown, sixth place
Sydney Burbank, semifinalist
Humor: Haylee Heiner, fourth place
Semifinalists: Sheridan Stock, Morgan Burbank, Phaedon Jones
Oratory: Jeremy Adriano, third place
Extemporaneous speaking: JD Richardson, first place, Alexander Marchal, semifinalist
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