Sunday, December 14, 2025
37.0°F

Stupendous speakers earn sixth-straight title

HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 14 years, 10 months AGO
by HEIDI DESCH
Heidi Desch is features editor and covers Flathead County for the Daily Inter Lake. She previously served as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, spending 10 years at the newspaper and earning honors as best weekly newspaper in Montana. She was a reporter for the Hungry Horse News and has served as interim editor for The Western News and Bigfork Eagle. She is a graduate of the University of Montana. She can be reached at [email protected] or 406-758-4421. | February 2, 2011 7:02 AM

Make it six.

The Columbia Falls High School speech and debate team earned its sixth-straight state title Saturday at the Class A State Speech and Debate Tournament in Laurel.

Led by three individual state champions, the team had 184 points. Billings Central came in second with 126 points.

Jesse Flickinger earned first in extemporaneous speaking. Casey Bauer took first in expository speaking. Stephanie Christensen won in memorized public address.

“The team was led by the three individual state champions,” Coach Tara Norick said. “Our freshmen policy debate team, Mary Gross and Allison Foust, made it to the finals round at the state tournament. Wow. None of the other coaches could remember freshmen debaters ever being in finals at state.”

The win continues Columbia Falls’ remarkable winning streak. The team set a record last year when it earned its fifth-straight state title.

“What a great team to work with, so motivated and dedicated,” Norick said. “Each student has performed over 100 speeches in the months leading up to this tournament and the double-entered kids have done twice as many.”

The full team competed at state with much of the team performing really well.

“Twenty out of 21 competitors in speech were in semifinals and 17 were in the finals round,” she said. “Two of our three policy teams and all three Lincoln-Douglas debaters were in quarterfinals. We were really balanced between speech and debate. It was a fantastic performance.”

Norick thanked her assistant coaches for their hard work during the season.

“The assistant coaches Kim Gange and Krista Martens were instrumental in the team’s success as well as continued support from (former head coach) Michael Christensen,” she said.

Individual results:

Policy debate - 2. Mary Gross and Allison Foust, 6. Becky Griffith and Mason Gedlaman

Lincoln-Douglas debate - 5. Kaitlin Barnes, 6. Kevin Kuper, 8. Ariel Ramstad

Extemporaneous speaking -1. Jesse Flickinger, 2. Chance Morine, 3. Marissa Getts

Impromptu speaking - 2. Marissa Getts, 5. Jesse Flickinger, 7. Chance Morine

Original oratory - 2. Jinise Osborne, 4. Stephanie Christensen, 6. Natalie Law

Expository speaking - 1. Casey Bauer, 3. Jennifer Jurva

Memorized public address - 1. Stephanie Christensen, 5. Nathan Trinastich

Humorous oral interpretation - 2. Hannah Brinton, 3. Keri Potter, 7. Ashley Carlson

Serious oral interpretation - 7. Keri Potter

ARTICLES BY HEIDI DESCH

Whitefish Council looks at cell tower contract
November 16, 2025 11 p.m.

Whitefish Council looks at cell tower contract

Whitefish City Council on Monday will consider a new agreement for a cell tower located at Memorial Park.

Whitefish hotel expansion goes before City Council
November 2, 2025 11 p.m.

Whitefish hotel expansion goes before City Council

A hotel along the Whitefish River is looking to expand by converting an office building on the same property into lodging.

Ideas into opportunities: FVCC's entrepreneurship center to support future leaders
November 2, 2025 12:05 a.m.

Ideas into opportunities: FVCC's entrepreneurship center to support future leaders

Billed as a place to cultivate solutions while fostering business innovation, Flathead Valley Community College on Thursday opened the doors to the Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.