Whitman Forensics
Newsletter
Vol. 8, No. 1, December, 2001
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Champions
of the Northwest In his first year, Charles Olney did
the unimaginable. He was granted a first-round
bid to the NDT. If that was not
amazing enough it looks like he and his partner Thad Blank may do it again
this, their junior year. Their secret
is simple: lots and lots of hard work.
Together Thad and Charles have cut over 2,000 pages of evidence this
year. The hard work paid off as they
won all of the Northwest Forensics Conference designated tournaments as well
as the Gonzaga Warmup in September.
They have also performed well nationally beating such highly ranked
teams as Berkeley and Dartmouth.
While Charles and Thad have always been celebrities on the Whitman
team, they are now gaining celebrity status nationwide. Coach Jim does not
want to jinx their chances at a first round bid but is secretly confident
about their chances. Charles and Thad
however do not stand alone as the only team to win all of the Northwest
Forensics Conference tournaments this semester. Sophomores Samantha Howell and Dani Boucher won the first place
trophy in Junior Parliamentary debate two times in a row. While many believe Samantha and Dani are
ready for senior division, they are happy continuing their junior-division
winning streak. Jim, of course, is
fine with that as well. |
Charles and Thad review arguments that won them three fall Northwest tournaments in a row. The duo have amassed a 39-6 record against stiff competition in the Northwest and nation. |
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Debate
and the war on terrorism On September 11th
students gathered in Hunter 107 to watch television news of the terrorist attacks
and the United States response. At
first all of us asked how this horrific act could have happened in modern
times. Some students did not know how
to go on with school asking themselves even broader questions of
purpose. Students involved in debate
both at Whitman and nationally wrote in to debate related listserves with
information and questions about the war.
Members of the national debate community had varying responses from
wanting to change the national CEDA/NDT topic to terrorism for some tournaments
to asserting that questions about the war be debated outside official
rounds. Many members of our team
voluntarily organized speeches, debates, and forums on the war against
terrorism both inside and outside an official forensics context. Here are a few examples of our team’s
efforts to educate, inform, and engage in dialogue about the war:
Debate and Leadership There is a long history of
debaters in elected student government positions. In just the past five years, debaters have been ASWC secretary,
vice-president twice, president once, and twice the Chairperson of ASWC
Congress. This year is no
different. Keeping the tradition
alive, first-year student Scott “Scooter” Thompson has won the election for
ASWC secretary. He promises to remain
humble as he continues the debate-politics connection. |
Emily Cordo
and Beth prepare before a round at the Northwest Scrimmage where they went
6-0 in prelims.
David
Guidry, Brian Simmonds, and Joey Bennett talk before their debate.
John Poor
and Chris McCool discuss their strategy with coach Jim Hanson. |
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Jim,
Keola, and Brian were a panel of judges in the quarterfinals at Gonzaga.
Emily
Cordo listens to Brian Simmonds discuss strategies for her next debate.
Newlywed
Julie Caton (formerly Miller) continues her work as Intramural debate
coordinator and team student assistant. Jim:
“I am very pleased with the new students on our team this year. They are
exceptionally talented and they are a lot of fun. They are a great addition
to our team.” Staff: Jim Hanson, Director of Forensics, Brian Simmonds, Assistant Policy
Coach; Keola Whittaker, Assistant Parliamentary and I.E. Coach; Julie Caton
(Miller), Student Assistant and Intramural Debate Manager; Bob Withycombe,
Chair, Rhetoric and Film Studies; and Thomas Cronin, President, Whitman
College. 36 Competitors, Fall 2001: Andy
Monahan, Beth Schueler, Bridget Kustin, Brian Ward, Carrie Hostetler, Chandra
Carlisle, Charles Olney, Chris Gorman, Chris
McCool, Chris McManus, Dani Boucher, Darrell Miller, David Guidry, Emily
Cordo, Emily Marr, Gabe McGuire, Jackie Baxter, Jackie Jenkins, Joey Bennett,
John Poor, Katie Imbeau, Lauren Ritter, Mario Cava, Michael Winnike, Natalie Havlina, Nicholas
Thomas, Nick Zifcak, Nicole Reynaud, Sam Spiegel, Samantha Howell, Sean
Beaver, Scott Daniel, Scott Thompson, Thad Blank, Todd Borden, Zahava Wilstein. |
The
new assistant coaches don’t look so new! Known at times by his nickname “Grumpty
McDumpty,” Brian Simmonds is doing an excellent job in his first year as the
policy debate coach. Brian, who hails
from Portland, Oregon, spends most of his time strategizing new and creative
ways to run tournaments, organize assignments, and of course, win
rounds. This year he has helped many
fresh new faces on the team. Brian
took extra time to teach them about college debate in the Northwest something
he should know about since he just finished three years of policy debating
for the Whitman squad. The new parliamentary debate coach,
Keola Whittaker, created a splash at the first tournament when he flowed
every round on the team’s new laptop computer. At every tournament since he gets asked at least once, “Why
aren’t you flowing on your computer?”
Keola has created a stir on campus as well as he has started public
debates at Whitman with the help of the team’s parliamentary debaters. Now people at Whitman get exposure to the
fun world of debate but some insist public debates are just an excuse for
Keola to show off his new wardrobe despite his claims to the contrary. Keola
just graduated himself, having competed four years for the team. Is
this year’s team the “best ever?” The faculty, staff, and students of
Whitman College often hear about the team’s successes. However this year, the college displayed
their pride in the debate team over the college website. The question posed by the article was: “Is
this our best year ever?” The article
made arguments that it is. Jim noted the breadth of talent on the team but
also pointed to the long tradition of excellence on the squad. “Saying this
is one of our best--no problem. But, doing the history pages has
convinced me more than ever that Whitman has had many ‘best-ever’ squads.”
Hey,
what’s that bus doing there? With over 35 students and staff
attending the Lewis and Clark tournament, Jim decided we would give a
chartered bus a try. With help from
the college, the team was able to rent a comfortable bus to attend the first
Northwest Forensics Conference. Dr.
Jim Hanson was happy that the team could all travel together but was even
happier that he did not have to drive a van back after a long weekend of
coaching. As Dr. Hanson commented
after the tournament, “Having a paid driver made the long trek back to Walla
Walla a much easier ride.” The bus
driver did not seem too pained by the experience either despite having to
deal with over thirty-five excited debaters who proved victorious and
exhausted at the end of the tournament. Most of the team was asleep an hour
into the drive home. Another
joyous holiday party “I want that piggy!” screamed Darrell
Miller as he realized that Keola was taking home the prized electronic toy
pig, a gift in the exchange game the team plays each year. There were many other screams of joy and
defeat at this year's holiday party.
Jim Hanson was stuck with "goo" before snatching up a comfy
pillow. Charles Olney went home with
a Tickle-Me-Elmo and Scott Thompson cannot wait to show Jewett residents his
new Exorcist poster. Not
surprisingly, Brian Ward took home the most scandalous gift, the contents of
which remains a closely guarded secret. People come to the holiday party not
just to take home gifts but also to enjoy each other's company and sample
some treats. As recent alumni know,
Jim takes pride in feeding the people and this year was no different. Among the fine treats were Jim's famous
guacamole, steak, and shrimp. Keola
also cooked up some wassail and delicious curried pumpkin soup. This year's party also served as a way to
say goodbye to team friend Tyler Ross who graduates this semester. |
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Gabe, Katie,
Darrell and Nick relax at Emily Cordo’s during the Lewis and Clark
tournament.
Beth and Sam
smile even though Sam can’t tie a tie.
Emily Marr
carefully reviews her briefs. |
Gabe
wins a knife Senior Gabriel McGuire was seen carrying around an ulu knife at his
first tournament of the semester much to the shock of Dr. Hanson. The sometimes outrageous McGuire who hails
from Haines, Alaska is known for his acts of provocation. It is no surprise then that he would show
off his ulu knife, a rounded knife used by native Alaskans to cut salmon and
just about everything. However this
knife was not something McGuire simply picked up in his backyard but instead
is one of many awards he garnered this semester. At his first tournament of the year he and his partner, Natalie
Havlina, took first place at the selective Great Alaskan Speakout over highly
ranked teams such as Carroll College and the United States Air Force
Academy. McGuire received his
engraved ulu knife for being the fifth place speaker at the tournament. “This is one of my favorite speaker awards
ever,” proclaimed McGuire who was sure to take his coach’s advice to pack the
knife safely in his checked-on luggage on his return to Walla Walla. McGuire’s success continued at the very
well attended Lewis and Clark tournament where he and his partner, Todd
Borden, took second place above more than fifty teams. At their most recent tournament in sunny
Southern California, McGuire and Borden received an octa-finalist award. While the ulu knife was one of McGuire’s
favorites, he has not finished his pursuit for more awards. The
public is welcome at our debates! The parliamentary debate team
started a new tradition this year that has the campus cheering: public
debates. Thus far the team has held
three debates on a wide variety of topics from the war on terrorism to
abandoning the grading system. At all
of the debates crowds of over twenty students from around campus laughed and
cheered the debaters and many were impressed by their polished speaking
ability. One memorable moment in the
second public debate came when Nicholas Thomas accused Sam Spiegel of coming
to Whitman “just to meet girls.” Sam
had no retort but instead merely smiled as his face turned red. The audience forgave him and in a slim
victory Sam Spegiel and partner Darrell Miller beat Nicholas Thomas and
partner Chris Gorman in a 7-5 vote.
After the debates many students asked for more information about the
team. The parliamentary team expects
to continue this tradition next semester with debates on both local and
international topics to entertain their friends and recruit more debaters! |
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Intramural
debate The intramural debates were alive with
over 30 debaters participating. The topic asked whether the United States
should continue its war in Afghanistan. Students held strong opinions on both
sides of the topic. Brett Pahler, Matt Singer, and David Grinder won awards
in the experienced division while Beth Pearson, Ethan Place, Michael Won,
Charlie Gardner, and Emily Stoll all went undefeated in the inexperienced
division. Winners won cash prizes while all competitors received
refreshments, t-shirts, and certificates. Scooter
and the Beav: Roommates, debate partners, and friends Scott Thompson and Sean
Beaver share a lot in common. They both debated in high school in the
Northwest. They both turned down offers from schools such as Dartmouth and
Colorado College to join the Whitman College Forensics Team. “We did not plan to go to the same college
but I was glad that we both ended up at Whitman,” Beaver said. Finally, they
both have Jim as their first year advisor and they have debated together this
semester. |
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Although they spend many
hours working in Hunter Conservatory and living together in Jewett Hall, their
friendship has not faltered. Thompson
and Beaver are affectionately known as “Scooter and the Beav” on the
team. As the only team on the Whitman
CEDA debate squad made up of two first-year students, their record is
exemplary. At the first tournament of
the year, Scooter and the Beav finished 3-3 in senior level competition. At the next tournament, they went
undefeated and took first place in junior division at the Lewis and Clark
tournament, an impressive accomplishment for Whitman’s youngest team. The whole gang is proud of Scooter and
Beav! |
Scooter and
the Beav chill in one of the team’s “prep” rooms. |
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Withycombe
and Walker Fund Contributions We are grateful for your contributions
to the forensic team! Generous donors May 21, 2001 through December 11, 2001
include: Helen
Barron-Liebel in memory of Dan Henderson, Jennifer Becker and Andy Backlund,
Dave Norelius, Janice Berman, Jessica Clarke, Jim Hanson, Bob Withycombe,
Kelly and Mathew Cleman, Keola Whittaker, Brian Danielson, David Kearney,
Abby St. Lawrence, and Steve Rowe. If we
missed you, please tell us because we do appreciate your support! Send
contributions to the Walker Fund
or the Withycombe Fund to: Annual Fund Office Whitman College Walla Walla WA 99362Checks
should be made out to Whitman College with a note that says to place the
contribution into the Walker or Withycombe Fund. |
1942-1943
Linfield tournament participants Harley, Webster, Callen, Martin, Ackley,
Bond, Campbell, Farmer, Downey, Seebart, Brooke, Garrett. This and other
pictures are featured on the team’s history web pages. |
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Check the History Pages: Are
they Correct? Check your years at The
Team’s History Pages E-mail additions and changes to Jim at hansonjb@whitman.edu “WNDI” success continues! “For the first time since Ernest Goes to Camp, a summer institute has
managed to both be educational and unbridled wacky fun,” said Brian Ward
describing the second annual Whitman National Debate Institute. This summer, students came from around the
nation from as far away as Vermont and Arizona. The camp is known for producing a large amount of evidence in a
short amount of time. The camp was
not all work, however. The campers
had so much fun that Brian Ward, Keola Whittaker, and Natalie Woodward ended
up with red and blue hair by the end of camp! Even the grouchiest member of the Whitman debate team, Nicholas
Thomas, had a good time teaching LD debate to high school students. As he so boldly says, “I couldn't have
done any better were I doing it alone…maybe.” The camp is not only important for improving debate skills and
having fun. It also gives some of the
nation’s brightest high school students an early look at Whitman
College. Brian Simmonds puts it best
saying, “WNDI is a great way for Whitman to support high school debate, and
for high school debaters to become acquainted with the College.” |
Charles
researches at our debate camp. The camp brought in 50 students & coaches! |
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Policy Awards Brian Ward and Mike Winnike, NW Scrimmage, 9th; Lewis
and Clark, 3rd, U. Oregon, 1st Charles Olney and Thad Blank, NW Scrimmage 1st, U.
Kentucky, 5th, Lewis and Clark 1st, U. Oregon 1st,
Wake Forest, 5th Beth Schueler and Emily Cordo, NW Scrimmage 5th, Lewis
and Clark 5th, U. Oregon 1st Emily Marr and Scott Daniel, U. Oregon 1st David Guidry and Joey Bennett, NW Scrimmage 9th, Lewis
and Clark 9th, U. Oregon 1st Sean Beaver and Scott Thompson, Lewis and Clark 1st Chris McCool and John Poor, U. Oregon 5th Parli Awards Gabe McGuire and Natalie Havlina, Alaska Speakout, 1st Gabe McGuire and Todd Borden, Lewis and Clark 2nd,
CSU-Northridge, 9th Chris Gorman and Mario Cava, U. Oregon 5th Chandra Carlisle and Nicholas Thomas, U. Oregon 9th Bridget Kustin and Natalie Havlina, Lewis and Clark 9th Darrell Miller and Sam Spiegel, Lewis and Clark 5th, U.
Oregon 9th, CSU-Northridge, 9thh Dani Boucher and Samantha Howell, Lewis and Clark 1st, U.
Oregon 1st |
Individual Events Awards Andy Monahan Nov. Impromptu, 4th, Lewis
and Clark Bridget Kustin Jr. Impromptu, 4th and Sr.
Informative, 1st, Lewis and Clark; Sr. Informative, 4th,
U. Oregon; Sr. Impromptu, Semis, CSU-Northridge Charles Olney Nov. Impromptu, 4th, U.
Oregon Chris Gorman Jr. Extemp, 6th and Jr.
Impromptu 2nd, U. Oregon Dani Boucher Jr. Dramatic, 3rd, U.
Oregon Darrell Miller Sr. ADS, 2nd, and Jr.
Prose, 4th, Lewis and Clark; Sr. ADS, 1st, Jr.
Dramatic, 1st, Jr. Prose, 2nd, U. Oregon; Sr. ADS, 4th,
CSU-Northridge Gabe McGuire Sr. Impromptu, 5th, Lewis
and Clark Katie Imbeau Sr. Dramatic, 3rd and Sr. Duo
with Sam Spiegel, 2nd, Lewis and Clark Mario Cava Sr. ADS, 6th, Lewis and
Clark; Sr. ADS, 4th, Jr. Impromptu, 5th, Jr. Poetry, 2nd;
U. Oregon Michael Winnike Nov. Impromptu, 1st, U.
Oregon Natalie Havlina Jr. Extemp, 3rd, Lewis and
Clark Nicholas Thomas Sr. Extemp, 6th, Lewis and
Clark; Sr. Extemp, 1st, Sr. Forensic Criticism, 5th, U.
Oregon; Sr. Extemp, 3rd, Sr. Impromptu, Semis, and Sr. CA, 2nd,
CSU-Northridge Sam Spiegel Sr. CA, 3rd and Sr. Duo
with Katie Imbeau, 2nd, Lewis and Clark; Sr. CA, 1st,
U. Oregon; Sr. CA, 1st, CSU-Northridge Sean Beaver Nov. Impromptu, 3rd, U.
Oregon Todd Borden Jr. Impromptu, 2nd, U.
Oregon Zahava Wilstein Sr. ADS, 2nd, U. Oregon |
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