Last Saturday, Feb. 14, the Wayne State College forensics team traveled to the Kansas-Nebraska Intercollegiate Forensics Association (KNIFA) State Tournament in Manhattan, Kansas. Led by the new forensics coach Sidney Truman, a current graduate student at WSC, the team brought hard work and success to the competition this year.
As shown in their official records, this academic year the speech team has placed in team sweepstakes a few times. Moreover, they have members who are placing at meets consistently.
The results from last weekend alone, showcase the strength of the team. Parker Kesting, a current sophomore, earned fifth place in After Dinner Speaking.
Faatimah Kouatli, a senior, was recognized for senior night at the event and became a Spirit of KNIFA Award nominee. Katryst Chari, a junior, was recognized as Top Novice in Poetry and Impromptu Speaking.
Mariah McDole, a freshman on the WSC speech team, said last weekend’s tournament was a strong opportunity for the students to receive good feedback from judges. After four years of competing in high school speech, she expressed gratitude for what she learned from the competition.
“Personally, this meet was a large opportunity to learn where I need to work on my pieces. I am still new to collegiate level speech, and KNIFA is a really big deal in our area,” McDole said.
KNIFA is a good opportunity for the team to understand where they are in terms of the surrounding colleges. It has the ability to give them a reference to what needs to be done to achieve a bid to Nationals.
Standing at only four active members plus the coach, the WSC speech team is a small group of highly dedicated competitors. However, according to McDole, they are always looking to grow.
“For the team overall, a goal I think is important is simply making ourselves known here on campus,” McDole said. “Before I came to Wayne, the team was in a very transitional place that I didn’t know much about. I would ask students and educators here about the team, and it was a bit hard to find information.”
This “transitional place” was primarily caused by the change in staff, as this is Truman’s first year as the head coach. Since the beginning of the season, the efforts of both Truman and the competitors have continued to grow the successes of the WSC speech team.
McDole said she is glad she chose to continue competing in speech here at WSC because of the positive environment.
“Everyone was very welcoming and engaging, and our coach worked with me to prepare for meets right away,” McDole said. “That openness and support solidified my decision to join the team.”
According to the WSC Clubs page for the team, “The motto of the WSC forensics team is ‘Speak Your Truth.’ Whether you’re telling a story through an interpretation event or advocating for an issue in debate, speech and debate gives you the opportunity to stand up and take a stand. Your voice is powerful — use it!”
