The message at the end of Bob Lechtreck’s e-mail gave a poignant message: “Putting out fires, and damn good debaters.”
For all of the students who are shy about performing in front of live audiences, the study of forensics just may be the key to overcoming this natural phenomenon.
“Forensics helps you figure out who you are,” said Helen Acosta, director of forensics at Bakersfield College. “It helps you figure out what you can do in the world.”
Lechtreck, who has been involved in forensics for 32 years, admitted this year got off to a slow start.
However, this year’s forensics team generated a lot of success in the face of serious adversity, which resulted in several national titles and scholarships.
The first debate tournament of the season was the Pacific Southwest Collegiate Forensics Association Fall Championships, Lechtreck said.
The team of Jarrod Massey and Christine Stronach won this event without losing a single ballot.
While competing in the California Community College Forensics Association State Championship, BC earned the limited entry division state championship.
Dave Billings and Massey won the gold in the Lincoln-Douglas debate and the two won silver in the cross-examination debate. Ken Dandy earned silver in impromptu speaking and bronze in extemporaneous speaking. Dandy teamed up with Robert Frank to win the silver in the parliamentary debate.
Frank earned the silver in extemporaneous speaking and Opalin Pickens took bronze in persuasive speaking.
Two members of the team competed in the Cross Examination Debate Association from April 4 to 7 in Fullerton. Jeremy Peterson and Sydney Howard won the cumulative CEDA Select Sweepstakes Championship. Additionally, Howard was named to the CEDA Academic All-American team.
During the Phi Rho Pi junior college national championships in Texas, the team of Billings and Massey won a gold medal in the team policy debate and Massey also won bronze in the Lincoln-Douglas debate. They took also home the Bell-Scroggins Award.
To cap off this event, at the end of the tournament BC was awarded the National Championship in debate sweepstakes in the limited entry division.