For the second year in a row Delta’s Speech and Debate Team is going to nationals in April, after ranking second place in last year’s national event.
Speech and debate does not function the way sports function.
Sport teams have seasons. Depending on how well they perform during a season the team goes to playoffs.
In speech and debate every tournament is its own.
This means Delta can lose the statewide tournament and win Phirhopy, which is the national tournament.
Another national title under the team’s belt can mean a lot for Delta.
Students who are not able to attend four-year universities seek community colleges that have a decent program that meets their needs.
Because Delta has a strong speech and debate team it leads to more students and more attention to the school.
“My goal is to get students to be the best so they can get scholarship to four year colleges,” said Kathleen Bruce, Delta speech and debate coach.
Bruce said this also brings more attention to Delta because students earning scholarships and the team winning state and national tournaments can result in people from other areas in the state or country coming to Delta.
It gives the team a chance to start recruiting.
Alexis Lopez, a speech and debate team member, said there are many scholarship opportunities, but the chance at a scholarship is not why she is on the team.
“It started out as fun and I’ve been falling in love with,” it, she said.
Lopez was asked why speaking in public is one of the top fears for Americans.
“It’s scary and terrifying at first, but it gets easier with time,” she said.
Lopez’s personal aspirations have changed because of her interest in speech.
She hopes to earn a double major, with one subject being communications, or minor in the subject.
“Speech and Debate doesn’t sound appealing, but once you get in it you realize there is a whole other world out there,” she said.