Combined speech and debate team off to strong start

The combined speech and debate team of Lovell and Rocky Mountain high schools traveled to Worland for a two-day tournament on January 10-11. This was their first full varsity competition for the 2024-25 season.

Lilly Keele competed in Informative Speech with a piece titled “Split Brain Surgery and the Left-Brain Interpreter.” She explained: “The brain can be cut in half to limit epileptic activity. Because the right hemisphere can’t speak, the left creates excuses to justify its actions.” Lilly also had pictures and information on a poster to assist her in the presentation. She placed second. Keele also competed in Poetry. Coach Heather Mickelson said of her performance, “Lilly did very well, and I’m pleased with her performance.”

The other students competing in the Worland tournament were Lilian Wenstrom, who competed in Program Oral Interpretation, Bella Gallagher, who competed in Original Oratory, Christy Aagard in Informative Speech, Nakia Heron in Informative Speech and Mattheww Allen in Congress.

Coach Mickelson was excited to see her students grow and improve.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, the speech and debate team traveled to Riverside. There, nine students competed in a variety of events. Students placing at Riverside were Gallagher, sixth place in Original Oratory, Wenstrom, first place in Program Oral Interpretation; and Keele, second place in Informative Speech.

Also competing in the Riverside tournament were Allen in Congress, Keele in Informative Speech and in Poetry, Bianca Krei in Poetry, Gemma Allphin in Informative Speech, Aagard in Informative Speech, Rachel Hawley in Informative Speech, Heron in Informative Speech, Gallagher in Original Oratory and Wenstrom in Program Oral Interpretation. 

The team will travel to the Riverton Tournament this Friday and Saturday, followed by the Gillette tournament February 7-8. Mickelson said she looks forward to the season and seeing the students grow and become confident with their pieces.