V. Sue Cleveland Eye of the Storm 2023 Results
The team had an excellent showing at the final local NMSDA tournament before State and District Nat Quals: the V. Sue Cleveland Eye of the Storm, Fri–Sat, 1/27–1/28.
The first full in-person local tournament since the Cottonwood Classic in November, students were able to premiere new pieces, cross-enter in new events, and collaborate with students from other teams, all while honing their craft. We had new pieces, new first time double-entries, and first-time competitors to boot!
In addition to an impressive array of awards and titles, some specific team shout-outs were provided to:
Sara — for “trying a new event!”
Elizabeth — for “being really positive,” “an amazing final round,” “helping keep me organized and helping me between rounds,” and for “those donuts, which were freaking amazing!”
Abbott — for “an amazing final round,” and especially for a “reall amazing speech that had a ton of emotion and was still persuasive.”
Leo — “because he offered to help us (and so many other people) prep before our rounds, regardless of whether we were in his event or not, which was really thoughtful” and because “he took the time to watch a lot of my rounds. Not only it was encouraging but he also gave good feedback on my performance.”
Meryem — “Meryem was incredible during the tournament. I was really impressed with her actual rankings, but I was more impressed by her incredible attitude and confidence in speaking”
Ayla — who was “always super helpful with keeping me organized and helping me through my rounds” and “so helpful with prepping for extemp and understanding how to succeed in the event.”
Becca — “HOW DID SHE GET 1ST IN ALL 3 EVENTS. ICON.”
Congratulations to the following for their specific achievements:
Speech
1st place CHAMPION in Informative Speaking — Becca Faber (Received all 1’s in prelims!)
1st place CHAMPION in Impromptu Speaking — Becca Faber (Received all 1’s in prelims!)
1st place CHAMPION in Original Oratory — Becca Faber (Received all 1’s in prelims!)
1st place CHAMPION in International Extemp — Ayla Zomermaand
2nd place in Duo Interp — Sara Chehy & Gabby Sanchez
Finalist in Original Oratory — Sara Chehy
Finalists in International Extemp — Elizabeth Hiller, Abbott Carothers, and Leo Crowley
Debate
1st place CHAMPIONS in Public Forum Debate — Elizabeth Hiller & Abbott Carothers
2nd place Finalist in Lincoln Douglas Debate — Meryem Anderoglu
3rd place Semi-Finalist in Lincoln Douglas Debate — Leo Crowley
3rd place Semi-Finalists in Public Forum Debate — Jaycee Sanchez & Anagha Devarakonda
As a whole, we took home FIVE 1st place championship titles out of the 8 total events we entered in, with 13 entries placing in the top of their respective fields out of 16 entries total. To put this in perspective, we took home either 1st or 2nd in 7 out of the 8 total events we entered in (Duo, Impromptu, IX, Info, Oratory, VLD, PF). That is wildly successful, especially given how many students were trying new events! Congratulations to all for yet another success of a weekend.
Next up, students will begin competing in our end-of-season championships with District and State Congress coming up first on February 11th —stay tuned!
