The BBHS Speech and Debate team represented Blanchet with pride at the Gonzaga University Conway Classic Tournament this past weekend.

“This was a big tournament for us because it served as a chance to compete against speakers and teams regionally,” said head coach Mr. Curtis Leighton. “It was more than a state tournament. There was a team from California, a couple of teams from Montana, and one from Oregon. I would definitely say it was more of a ‘West Coast’ tournament.”

Four team members made the trip to Spokane; they all had success in their competition. Anna Dimak, Alejandra Cuevas, newcomer Calvin Golliver and Captain Erik Nielsen all made it to final rounds in congressional debate.

“As a team we did really well I think. Everyone certainly improved in all of the events that they did. Overall we had great participation and it was a lot of fun,” said team captain Erik Nielsen.

The team had standout performances with Golliver placing third overall in JV competition, as well as Dimak competing in finals for her editorial commentary.

“Calvin’s performance was exceptional because Congressional is a pretty challenging style of debate, you find yourself having to think on your feet, to adapt your arguments depending on who’s speaking, so he definitely showed a lot of skill as well as potential for what was only his second time competing in Congressional debate,” said coach Leighton.

This was the fourth tournament the team competed in and was without a doubt one of the biggest competitions thus far for the Braves. The team will be competing in three more tournaments before the end of the season in March and Regional competition.

“We’re currently deciding which tournaments we would like to compete in to round out the season. The decisions come down to doing any and everything we can to prepare for Regionals in hopes that our performances their presents us with the opportunity to go to state,” said coach Leighton.