The forensics speech and debate team wins the invitational competition

The El Camino College Forensics Speech and Debate Team won overall at the Jannese Davidson Invitational.

The tournament at Concordia University Irvine was a three-day event where the team competed against 23 other community colleges and universities.

Andres Osorio, who serves as co-president of the Forensics Speech and Debate team, commented on the team’s performance.

“I am so incredibly proud of our collective achievement,” said Osorio. “Our goal is for the school to win.”

In the Parliamentary Debate category, twin sisters Juliette and Julissa Celis were crowned JV team champions.

Danielle Kabboul was crowned Senior Champion in the International Public Debate category, while Nia Gordon was crowned Novice Champion in the Impromptu Speaking category.

Zayrah Robb was also crowned JV champion in the Impromptu Speaking category. Ashley Singh has been named the Novice Impromptu Speaking Champion.

Abigail Sucup, a second-year member and co-president of the team, said she found the challenging part of the tournament was being able to think on her feet.

“We don’t always have the answers to all the questions they ask us,” Sucup said.

To prepare for this tournament, the forensics team practices twice a week. This includes practicing debates and topic research as well as practicing speaking events and giving lectures for each exercise.

For those new to the team, it was the first time participating in such a significant competition as the Jannese Davidson Memorial Invitational.

“I knew the students were very well prepared,” said Francesca Bishop, professor of communication studies and director of forensic science. “When we did the tryouts, I realized that they [the students] were quite talented despite having very little experience.”

The team trained for weeks and continually supported each other in their success.

“You go through a lot with these people and you have to rely on each other,” Sucup said. “It really feels like a family when you get here.”