Katherine Champion came out of Glacier High School Room D-218 breathless, her faced flushed from the physical exertion of performing a Humorous Interpretation piece during the preliminary round of the Valley Talkdown speech and debate exhibition.

The Glacier High School senior fanned her face to cool down before competing in her next event, Serious Interpretation. Both events demand stylized acting while students recite memorized pieces of literature in under 10 minutes.

“This is my first year switching and it was really good. You go from one spectrum to another. I like going back and forth because then I keep my energy up,” Champion said. “With humorous interp you’re typically more than one character and you have to keep up a nice, fast pace and pull it off as if you are not trying so hard. At some point it’s like you’re going up and down and doing different voices and you’re running out of air.”  

On the other hand, Serious Interpretation incorporates a more muted stylized acting meant to elicit serious emotions, but it can be mentally draining.

Serious and Humorous Interpretation were just two of 12 events Thursday featuring students from Flathead, Glacier and Columbia Falls high schools.

Across the way in room D-214, Flathead seniors Jesse Francis and Jake Wilson stood before their audience to perform a duo interpretation of a book adaptation of Disney’s animated movie, “Sword in the Stone.”

Early on, Francis crouched behind Wilson making different sound effects and narrations while Wilson pantomimed the action. Francis said this is a tactic to let the audience know that one person is supposed to be on the stage.

Their performance drew laughter from the audience. Francis said this event could be humorous or serious.

“It’s personal preference,” Francis said. “Serious can be effective, but it’s a real risk.”

After finishing events, students filed out of classrooms, walking down the hallways and asking friends for feedback on how they did, whether the gestures they added on the fly worked or if a character’s voice should be changed.

Other events feature memorized speeches that require extensive research, analysis and writing on current social and political events such as extemporaneous speaking.

Students randomly draw a few topics and select one to prepare a five- to seven-minute persuasive speech from research the student has compiled in 30 minutes.

Cody Phillips, a sophomore at Columbia Falls, chose to speak about how to lower the cost of a quality education. Phillips drew from anecdotal information and information from periodicals.

“We have to cite sources,” Phillips said. “We keep five boxes of information and we can use that during prep time.”

In the first round of finals for Policy Debate, it was the Flathead team of Katie Anderson and Ellie Lapp against the Glacier team of Westley Hughes and Kyersten Siebenaler.

The teams were seated at two behind crates of filed information top debate the resolution: “The United States federal government should substantially increase its transportation infrastructure investment.”

In Policy Debate, each team is assigned a side, either affirmative or negative, shortly before the event begins. Whether they agree or disagree on a topic doesn’t factor into the event, both teams agreed.

“We have a resolution, then we make a plan in a specific way to fit the resolution,” Anderson said.

Siebenaler added, “The negative team comes up with arguments against the plan.” The wrestling match of the minds ended after more than an hour with the Flathead pair winning the round.

Following are results from Thursday’s Valley Talkdown:

Ranked by coaches, students either competed in “gold” or “silver” brackets.

Gold

Extemporaneous

1. Blake Ladenburg, Columbia Falls

2. Wyatt McGillen, Flathead

3. Tom Dooling, Flathead

4. Devon Zander, Glacier

5. Cody Phillips, Columbia Falls

6. Nick LaGrandeur, Glacier

7. MaKenna Siebenaler, Glacier

8. Katie Weed, Flathead

Impromptu

1. Mason Gedlaman, Col. Falls

2. Nick LaGrandeur, Glacier

3. Tom Dooling, Flathead

4. Elise Byle, Glacier

5. Sarah Ward, Flathead

6. Molly Wright, Glacier

7. Katie Weed, Flathead

8. Tim Ingham, Columbia Falls

Serious Interpretation

1. Tanner Maroney, Glacier

2. Chloe Newlon, Flathead

3. Meredith Stolte, Columbia Falls

4. Bryce Tomas, Glacier

5. Annika Hanson, Glacier

6. Karl Boveng, Flathead

7. Bailey Duke, Columbia Falls

8. Danny Power, Flathead

Humorous Interpretation

1. Abby Van Allen, Glacier

2. Karl Boveng, Flathead

3. Sydney Boveng, Flathead

4. Jesse Francis, Flathead

5. Christian Diaz, Glacier

6. Kat Champion, Glacier

7. Mason Gedlaman, Col. Falls

8. Lexi Corbett, Columbia Falls

9. Matt Geldaman, Columbia Falls

Duo Interpretation

1. Keckeley Habel and Zach French, Glacier

2. Bryce Tomas and Tanner Maroney, Glacier

3. Jesse Francis and Jake Wilson, Flathead

4. Wyatt Dykhuizen and Parker Kouns, Flathead

5. Jhalen Salazar and Alex Zografos, Flathead

6. Annika Hanson and Rae O’Myer, Glacier

Oratory

1. Keckeley Habel, Glacier

2. Hannah Peterson, Flathead

3. Emily Morison, Glacier

4. Maija Hadwin, Flathead

5. Wyatt McGillen, Flathead

6. Mary Gross, Columbia Falls

7. Angie Merrill, Glacier

Expository

1. Christian Stratton, Glacier

2. Steele Jochim, Flathead

3. Baylee Brinton, Columbia Falls

4. Glenn Strickler, Flathead

5. Jocie Denton, Glacier

6. Angie Merrill, Glacier

7. Kodee Wagner, Flathead

8. Yeo Chung, Columbia Falls

Memorized Public Address

1. Chloe Newlon, Flathead

2. McKenna Miller, Flathead

3. Leah Cook, Glacier

4. Irina Nachiporuk, Flathead

5. Breanna Friar, Columbia Falls

6. Olivia Ramstad, Columbia Falls

7. Harrison Kauffman, Glacier

8. Kaleb Griepp, Glacier

Legislative Debate

1. Barrie Sugarman, Flathead

2. Hunter Garbacz, Glacier

3. Serena Brosten, Flathead

4. Reece Erickson, Glacier

5. Grant Germann, Glacier

6. Kyra Butts, Flathead

7. MaKenna Marvin, Flathead

8. Mady Rigg, Glacier

Public Forum Debate

1. Ian Hollander and Izaak Castren, Glacier

2. Aryn Phillips and Kelly Hendrix, Flathead

3. Ruben Castren and Noah Hill, Glacier

3. Cameron Brown and Matt MacFarlane, Flathead

Lincoln Douglas Debate

Bracket A

1. Lukas Dregne, Glacier

2. Connor Fraser, Glacier

3. Lukas Lorentz, Flathead

3. Allison Foust, Flathead

Bracket B

1. Kian Ahern, Flathead

2. Alaina Mothershead, Flathead

3. Ian Wheeler, Glacier

3. Kaitlin Barnes, Columbia Falls

Policy Debate

Bracket A

1. Katie Anderson and Ellie Lapp, Flathead

2. Westley Hughes and Kyersten Siebenaler, Glacier

3. Erick Franklund and Colter Norick, Columbia Falls

3. Ashlee Buller and Jaclyn Rensel, Glacier

Bracket B

1. Ben Moon and Ryan Keenan, Flathead

2. Connor Roettig and Meredith Wilson, Flathead

3. Anika Fritz and Josie Jolly, Glacier

3. Mara Barnes and Monique Schoech, Columbia Falls

Silver

Extemporaneous

1. Eli Cornell, Flathead

2. Elise Byle, Glacier

3. Mary Gross, Columbia Falls

4. Eli Brown, Flathead

5. Brad Jones, Glacier

6. Aliina Gregerson, Glacier

7. Henry Chisolm, Columbia Falls

8. Will Thompson, Flathead

Oratory

1. Meredith Stolte, Columbia Falls

2. Cassidi Bowman, Columbia Falls

3. Camas Carlson, Flathead

4. Carli Dewbre, Glacier

5. Jenna McGuire, Flathead

6. Teesa Palmatier, Glacier

7. Tia Kohs, Flathead

Expository

1. Sara Christensen, Glacier

2. Tristyn Rhodes, Glacier

3. Katey Deist, Glacier

4. Michael Rutledge, Flathead

5. Samantha Gilk, Columbia Falls

6. Mariah Walker, Columbia Falls

7. Kassara Hansen, Flathead

8. Sarah Walker, Flathead

Memorized Public Address

1. Molly Wright, Glacier

2. Jackie Culver, Glacier

3. Theron Williams, Flathead

4. Freya Woidniok, Flathead

5. Hannah Halbur, Glacier

6. Garrett Role, Columbia Falls

7. Mallorie Mason, Flathead

Serious Interpretation

1. Brittney Cotton, Columbia Falls

2. Kat Champion, Glacier

3. Jessica Mount, Glacier

4. Jhalen Salazar, Flathead

5. Alexis Larson, Glacier

6. Jessica Nolan, Flathead

7. Kelsey Reese, Columbia Falls

8. Brandon Shores, Flathead

Duo Interpretation

1. Ben Habel and Jackie Culver, Glacier

2. Courtney Mundhenke and Brittney Mundhenke, Flathead

3. Harrison Kauffman and Kade Deleray, Glacier

4. Jackson Davey and Paige Swindle, Flathead

5. Rebecca Konen and Lydia DalNagore, Glacier

Humorous Interpretation

1. Ben Habel, Glacier

2. Jay Shonsey, Flathead

3. Micah Liehr, Flathead

4. Jenna Smith, Columbia Falls

5. Alex Weaver, Flathead

6. Daisyjane Johnson, Col. Falls

Seventh, Cooper Wendt, Columbia Falls

8. Sophie Benedetto, Glacier

9. Jacob Wutke, Glacier

Impromptu

1. Blake Ladenburg, Columbia Falls

2. Eli Cornell, Flathead

3. Dylan Gibson, Glacier

4. Maddy Olson, Flathead

5. Aliina Gregerson, Glacier

6. Joey Tamburelli, Columbia Falls

7. Raechel Young, Flathead

8. Henry Chisholm, Columbia Falls

9.  Zach French, Glacier

Lincoln Douglas Debate

Bracket A

1. Miranda Hoffman, Glacier

2. Ada Brooks, Columbia Falls

3. Mason Devries, Flathead

3. Rebecca Bruce, Flathead

Bracket B

1. Johnathan Kramer, Glacier

2. Mikayla Wilson, Glacier

3. KC Holm, Columbia Falls

3. Kelsey Weed, Flathead

Policy Debate

Bracket A

1. Ben Wright and Ryker McIntire, Glacier

2. Emily Getts and Maddie Mantell, Columbia Falls

3. Allan Easley and Julie Tripp, Glacier

Bracket B

1. Xio Lopp and Eli Fransden, Flathead

2. Stephen Lindsay and Mike Dittrich, Columbia Falls

Public Forum Debate

1. Sophie French and Wyatt Germann, Glacier

2. Ben Stone and Maddi Lopp, Flathead