USU Debater earns trip to Florida as team finishes second
Utah State University debate members took second overall in last weekend’s tournament at the University of Utah against 25 other schools, including U.S. Air Force Academy, Cal State Berkley and Pepperdine. The team, which is only in its second full year as a program, came in behind Carroll College from Montana.
Coach Tom Worthen said competing against prestigious schools isn’t always easy, but USU is a match for any of them.
“Utah State holds their own and beats them,” Worthen said. He said this is a big accomplishment for a team that is only in its second year and competed with a team of 16 members, half for whom this was their first competition, while other teams hosted 20-40 members.
Besides their overall win, many debate members placed individually. Jane McBride and Nick West placed first in debate, the team of Chelsi Sutton and Eric Peatross took fourth, with Sutton winning the best overall debater. Richard Walker place second in persuasive speaking and second in informative speaking; Eric Whitehead took first in informative speaking; Jane Mcbride captured third persuasive speaking; Shannon Johnson finished fourth in persuasive speaking; Chelsi Sutton also took fifth in extemporaneous speaking and second in informative speaking; Tom Grover placed second in extemporaneous speaking and Diane Lewis took third in informative speaking and sixth in dramatic interpretation. Other debaters who won speaker awards included Konrad Mathesius second; Jane Mcbride, third; Nick West fourth; and Natalie Coleman, 10th place.
Amidst his other awards of fourth in dramatic interpretation and a fifth-place award in speaking, Eric Peatross placed first in persuasive speaking, being recognized as the top persuasive speaker in Utah. His win grants him the opportunity to travel to the Interstate Oratory Competition in Florida in April to represent Utah and USU. Peatross received a picket fence, which means having all the judges choose him as the first place winner at the competition. “It’s a real honor and a really cool experience,” Peatross said.
Peatross did some public speaking in high school and a little speech at Snow College, but began his debate career at USU two years ago. At first, he said Coach Worthen “suckered” him into doing it. “But the way he teaches it and the way he frames it up makes a big difference,” Peatross said, noting that now he is glad to be on the debate team. He enjoys the real-world experience he gains from debating and saying it will be just as valuable, if not more valuable than his learning in the classroom.
Coach Worthen had coached the USU team in previous years, but when he left in 1983, the team diminished and it wasn’t until his return two years ago that it began again. This time with a new twist, since Worthen serves as volunteer coach. He says it not only keeps him mentally active and up to date on current events, but it is something that he loves. After 15 years of coaching for his career, Worthen said he has seen the importance of the debate program. “I love what it does for the school, I love what it does for the students and I’m a very competitive person,” Worthen said.
Next week, the team will travel to Western Washington University in Belligham, Wash.
-albaugh@cc.usu.edu