AHS Speech & Debate National Results

by Connor Brownfield, AHS Class of '23

On June 10, 16 members of the Avon High School Speech and Debate team departed for Phoenix, Arizona to compete in the National Speech and Debate Association’s annual National Tournament.

The competitors, most of whom qualified through District tournaments in March, varied across age group (six were recently graduated seniors, while 10 were underclassmen) and event, but all worked long and hard in anticipation for the tournament. Every year, more than 6,000 students from around the country compete, so Avon’s team had their work cut out for them.

Avon’s team has many achievements under their belt, though. In addition to the team placing second at the State tournament in March, most members of the Nationals Team were finalists in their events, and two members, Katherine Langford and Liam Hoffman, were State Champions. So, it was clear that Avon was more than ready for the competition.

In addition to the sixteen students, five coaches made the trip: Linda Langford and Devin Noyes, the two Head Coaches for the Speech Team, Michael Langford, the Debate Team Coach, Julie Dutcher, an Interpretation (Drama) Coach, and Larry Alcorn, another Interpretation Coach. Avon’s coaches, along with the coaches from all other competing schools, filled the role of judges during the tournament.

Ultimately, the team had an excellent week. Four of Avon’s competitors survived the first cut, putting themselves in the top 60 speakers in the nation for their respective events. Those students included Langford (in Congressional Debate) and Hoffman (in World Schools Debate), as well as Olivia Gibson (Congressional Debate) and Ian Lynam (Humorous Interpretation). Lynam ended as an Octafinalist, Langford and Gibson were Semifinalists, and Hoffman’s World Schools Team made it all the way to the Final round, where they ended as 2nd in the nation!

While the team’s success can be attributed to lots of time, effort, and support, their road to Nationals was also made much smoother by numerous community sponsors, who helped cover the costs of registration, lodging, and transportation for the team, along with aiding in many other necessary areas of the trip. Those generous sponsors included: Avon Orthodontics, Avon Tri-Kappa, Costco, Lloyd Insurance, Culver’s, the Avon Chamber of Commerce, and local newspaper The Republican, Excellwell Performance, and Avon Schools.

For anyone interested in following the team’s future pursuits, you can follow Avon Speech and Debate on Twitter. Meanwhile, for anyone interested in watching Hoffman’s World Schools Debate Final, all final rounds for the National Tournament are viewable for free at speechanddebate.org.