MHS Debaters Rebut Snowstorm to Take Fourth and Fifth

The Milbank debate teams of Shane Spiering and Qualon Grant and Rylen Frerichs and Max Schuelke successfully ended the crypto resolution season at the Lincoln Silver Bowl on Saturday, January 15.

MHS Coach Kathy Tyler said, “The snowstorm forced the tournament to go online, which reduced the number of participants and events. In fact, it canceled the Student Congress event that Camila Monroy had prepared for and planned to enter.”

Coach Tyler said, “We gathered at the school library on Saturday and debated via cell phones as the students’ Chromebooks were unable to fully function on the tournament website. It was interesting to say the least.”
Both teams made it to the semi finals with 3-2 records and each compiled a semi-final round record of 1-2 (determined by three judges).  

The teams ended up in fourth and fifth places as determined by speaker points: Schuelke and Frerichs earned 169.5 and Grant and Spiering compiled 168.5. Grant and Spiering nosed out the sixth-place team by just a half-point. 

“It needs to be noted,” Coach Tyler said, “our Milbank debaters go up against double-A schools all the time, and they do very well. I am especially proud of Qualon and Shane. Their record at this tournament shows they’ve taken judges’ suggestions and critiques to heart and improved their debate skills and style.”

“Cryptocurrency regulation has been an interesting resolution,” she added. “The debaters know more about crypto than they ever imagined.  Now, they will be going international with the Turkey-NATO resolution, and they need to be experts by January 22.”  The Bulldogs travel to Watertown on January 22 to compete in the Watertown Speech Fiesta.