Debate Team Starts Strong

The George R. Brown Forensics Society, Rice University’s speech and debate team, started the academic year in winning form with a strong performance at the Top of the Rockies invitational tournament hosted by the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

The Rice team finished in fourth place in the Overall Team Sweepstakes, winning 21 separate debates and earning the highest efficiency rating, meaning it won the most awards per competitor, placing higher than teams with many more competitors entered. The nationally diverse competition was composed of 90 debate teams and 330 individual speaking event competitors representing 23 universities and colleges.

Top row from left: David Worth, Robert Crider, Priscilla Parrett, James Rapore, Kim Bennett, Greg Miller, Hrishi Hari, Anna Valkovich, Harry Long, Ted Torous, and Jeremy Grace. Bottom row from left: Nathan Smith, Matilda Young, Sarah Brandenburg, Kim Hartson, and Felipe Valdez.

Rice team members also took home 17 individual awards: James Rapore and Greg Miller, third place, Varsity Parliamentary Debate; Kim Hartson and Hrishi Hari, third place, Junior Varsity Parliamentary Debate; Hrishi Hari, first place, After Dinner Speaking; Felipe Valdez, sixth place, Poetry Interpretation, third place, Prose Interpretation, and second place, Programmed Oral Interpretation; Greg Miller, sixth place, Overall Debate Speaker, eighth place, Persuasive Speaking, and semi-finalist, Extemporaneous Speaking; James Rapore, fifth place, Persuasive Speaking, 20th place, Overall Debate Speaker, and semi-finalist, Extemporaneous Speaking; Robert Crider, seventh place, Persuasive Speaking, and semi-finalist, Extemporaneous Speaking; Kim Hartson, sixth place, Persuasive Speaking; Greg Miller and Felipe Valdez, seventh place, Dramatic Duo Interpretation.

The team is coached by David Worth, director of forensics, and Jeremy Grace, assistant director of forensics and lecturer of humanities.