Dickinson takes first in Dramatic Interpretation, Original Oratory

Competition ramps up for the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2) Speech and Debate team as they approach state, but they still took second in a tough 1A/2A field last weekend in Worland.

The Panthers lost to Greybull, whom head coach Jake Mickelsen said has been their rival for the season. Still, Greybull's victory was only by 5 points and CCSD#2 defeated a number of 3A schools, including Rawlins, Powell and Lander, said Mickelsen. The "Worlando Beach Invitational" was a tough meet with stiff competition, being that it marks the end of the regular season.

"I think this was an excellent reminder for our students that we can't ever assume that we're going to win, and that now more than ever we have to keep our collective noses to the grindstone as we work through the final week before the state competition in Buffalo this weekend," Mickelsen said. "I think having them all hungry for victory as we head to state is the exact mental state they should be in."

Jacob Dickinson grabbed first place overall for Dramatic Interpretation and Original Oratory. Senior Rowan Ford was a semi-finalist in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate and junior Maya Zeiger was a semi-finalist in Dramatic Interpretation.

At the state tournament, all the schools present can only bring 18 entries, regardless of team size. The larger schools will only be able to bring their best, but Saratoga can bring the whole squad, Mickelsen said. "Personally, I like that we get to take our freshmen, and I know this will be a terrific learning opportunity for them as they get to go head-to-head against some of the finest competitors in the state," Mickelsen said. The tournament starts on Thursday and runs through to the evening Saturday, and Mickelsen looks forward to seeing the competitors' hard work pay off. "I believe we have a great shot at bringing home the state title this weekend," Mickelsen said. "All things considered, the team's energy level is high, as are my expectations for our performance this weekend.

The CCSD#2 Speech and Debate team does not finish after state this weekend, as they head to another three-day-long national qualifiers tournament from March 17-19.