The 2011-2012 PKD National Champions in speech and debate, the Boise State University Talkin’ Broncos, continued their winning season with a commanding performance at the Steve Hunt Classic at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, ORE Oct. 7-9. The Talkin’ Broncos beat out 32 schools from seven states to take top awards in speech and debate and win the tournament championship.
In Worlds debate, the team of Robin Jensen (sophomore, Idaho Falls) and Skyler Bagley (junior, Sugar City) and the team of Dalton Hellman (sophomore, Canby, Ore.) and KayCee Babb (freshman, Weiser) both advanced to semi-finals. Babb, Josh Watkins (junior, Kuna), Cassandra Sullivan (sophomore, Idaho Falls), and Hellman all received speaking awards and were recognized as one of the top twenty debaters at the tournament.
In junior division parliamentary debate, the team of Kat Miller (junior, Eagle) and Steve Lee (junior, Sandpoint) advanced to tournament quarter-finals. In novice division parliamentary debate, the team of Norell Conroy (senior, Atascadero, Calif.) and Sabonn Dammarell (junior, Boise) advanced to quarter-finals as well. Conroy received the seventh place speaker award and Dammarell the eighth place speaker award for parliamentary debate.
In individual events, Watkins led the Talkin’ Broncos in scoring with first-place finishes in after dinner speaking, communication analysis, program oral interpretation of literature and second and third -place awards in persuasive and informative speaking. Other first-place finishes included Sullivan in informative speaking, Dammarell in persuasive speaking, Conroy in novice impromptu, Jensen in novice dramatic interpretations of literature, and Babb in junior informative speaking.
Top award winners for Boise State were Hellman, who placed second in informative speaking and impromptu speaking and fourth in both extemporaneous and persuasive speaking; Sullivan, who placed second in extemporaneous speaking; Conroy, who placed second in communication analysis; Jon Agnew (Junior, Idaho Falls), who placed third in extemporaneous speaking, fourth in junior informative speaking, and was a semi-finalist in impromptu speaking; Jessica Gresl (sophomore, Kuna), who placed third in poetry and fourth in dramatic interpretation; Lauren Bramwell (sophomore, St. Anthony) who placed third in program oral interpretation; Monica Cutler (junior, Fairfield) who was a finalist in poetry, prose, and program interpretation of literature; Mike Fitzgerald (junior, Spokane, WA), who placed fourth in program oral interpretation; Tanya Medukha (sophomore, Blackfoot), who placed fourth in poetry; Lee, who placed fourth in after dinner speaking; Jensen, who placed fourth in informative speaking; Bagley, who was a finalist in novice extemporaneous speaking; Miller, who was a finalist in informative speaking; Taylor Bruun (junior, Idaho Falls) who was a finalist in persuasive speaking; and Devon Downey (sophomore, Eagle), who was finalist in novice impromptu.
The Talkin’ Broncos shut out 32 other schools in informative speaking, taking the top five awards in the event.
They continue on to McMinnville, Ore., for the historic Mahaffey Tournament Nov. 14-16 The Talkin’ Broncos are the 2011 Pi Kappa Delta National Champions in Speech and Debate and are supported in part through the generosity of the Jeker Family Trust. For more information about the Talkin’ Broncos, contact Manda Hicks, director of forensics at Boise State at mandahicks@boisestate.edu.
A new video festival screening the work of two communication video production classes will be held from 7-9 p.m Tuesday, Dec. 6, in the Special Events Center.
Rick Moore, chair of the Department of Communication, was recently interviewed by a producer from the Australian Broadcast Corporation’s documentary program titled “Encounter” regarding research he has conducted on media depiction of religion.
