By GABRIELLE SHIOZAWA
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley High School Speech and Debate Team competed in the Nevada State Forensics Championship Tournament last weekend. The two-day event, which drew 36 high school teams from across Nevada, was hosted by Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas.
Having lost the championship the year before to Advanced Technologies Academy, team members were especially determined to perform well in this year’s competition and reclaim their former glory. The odds, however, were against them.
The MVHS Speech and Debate team has had a declining amount of attendance at tournaments throughout the year as the size of the group has diminished. Despite this obstacle, the participating members gave the competition their all.
In speech events, junior Sedona Thomas advanced to finals in Original Oratory after three preliminary rounds. Her speech, which urged listeners to support Girls Scouts, earned her first place and the title of Original Oratory Nevada State Champion.
Although many of Moapa’s contestants did not place in speech events, they performed well in preliminary rounds, earning hidden points for the team. It was through these points that the Pirates received the Original Oratory Bowl for earning the most points overall in the event.
In debate events, two Moapa participants advanced beyond preliminaries. After two Congress sessions, freshman Aubrey Aikele and junior Morgan Aikele were chosen to compete in semi-finals among a selection of top competitors. Morgan Aikele then advanced to the final round, where she won first place, regaining the title of Congress Nevada State Champion; she first earned the position two years ago as a freshman.
“I’m so happy to have taken state again,” said Aikele. “I decided I wanted to win at the beginning of the season, and ever since I’ve been preparing.”
Aikele expressed gratitude to her parents, Sam and Marquessa Aikele, as well as her coach, Randall Brinker, for encouraging her to compete at a variety of national and collegiate tournaments.
“It’s given me the chance to mock technique from national champions, which completely changes the game for me in Nevada,” she explained. “National exposure year-round is what I really believe pushed me beyond my opponents in the final round.”
The tournament, though triumphant, was a bittersweet occasion, as it marked the last competition that Coach Randall Brinker would attend before his retirement at the end of the school year.
Brinker, who has directed the Pirate Speech and Debate program for seven years, reflected on his team’s achievements. “We got first and second place many of the years,” he said. “We accomplished a lot. I’m going to miss my team. I hope Moapa Valley continues the program, and I wish everybody good luck.”
While the year ends here for the MVHS team, individuals still have the chance to continue to the national level through qualifying tournaments on March 23-25 and March 30-April 1.
