Alyssa Wilson ~ Editor-in-Chief
The University of Lynchburg’s Debate and Forensics team continued their successful reputation in bringing home nine more awards after the College Forensics Association Winter Tournament, which was hosted at Lynchburg.
The team received their first round of awards at a tournament in October 2022 at the beginning of the school year, and their success keeps coming with a total of at least 50 awards won between all members on the team.
Last weekend the team competed against 75 other institutions and walked away with two first place awards, one second place award, and many third, fourth and fifth place recognitions.
Co-team captain, Victoria Rogers started competing in forensics competitions seven years ago, keeping with it since she was a high schooler.
“To be honest, every time I win something, I’m surprised. When we compete against each other, I see just how amazing everyone does and can’t believe that another person doesn’t see that as well,” says Rogers.
Debate and forensics is a subjective sport based upon who the judges are, so someone could perform the same piece for two different judges and receive first place by one judge and fourth place by another.
Due to the subjectivity of the sport, the team works extra hard to cheer each other on and work as a team, no matter where they placed.
Rheanna Weeks, co-team captain, says, “As captain I always want to make sure everyone is equally valued on the team and at the same time make sure that they are always having fun. I know tournaments can get quite stressful but I try to always be there to provide a helping hand to those who may be nervous or who may have less experience competing.
Weeks, senior, first heard about the class through one of her DELL requirements as a freshman. Although she started her college career struggling with stage fright and social anxiety she decided to join the team in hopes of soothing some of those fears.
“Throughout the years I’ve won over 25 awards for various public speaking and debate events and some of my teammates have won even more than that. I honestly couldn’t be more proud of all that we’ve accomplished,” says Weeks.
The last tournament of the school year has been canceled, so the CFA winter tournament was the team’s last chance to win big.
Additional information about the Debate and Forensics team can be found here.