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Published in The Spectator, the student newspaper of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire;
Thursday, October 4, 2001
Forensics team competes in 24 events, places sixth
By Bill Olson
The UW-Eau Claire forensics team began the
academic year with a sixth place finish at the Boilermaker Speech/Debate
Tournament on Sept. 22, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
Eight Eau Claire students, including novices and veterans, participated
in 24 events, said Kelly Jo Wright, assistant director of forensics.
For informative speaking, senior Eric Rasmussen grabbed first place,
junior Brian Haapala placed third and sophomore Brandon Buchanan placed
sixth. Haapala also secured third in prose interpretation and senior
Scott Boras placed fifth in rhetorical criticism, Wright said.
“We had a blast,” said freshman Abe Barnes, who placed first in
novice impromptu speaking and third in novice extemporaneous speaking.
There’s a lot of team spirit and unity when you go to a tournament, he
said. “It’s fun and it’s a really tight, close-knit team.”
Aaron Unseth, senior, said the tournament occurring so early in the
season was a challenge. He took first place in poetry interpretation and
fifth place in persuasion. “It was a rush to get stuff prepared and
polished,” he said.
And not all schools were on an equal footing. Some started the semester
in August and had an extra week or two to prepare, Unseth said.
According to Barnes, the team wanted to make a good showing.
“I just wanted to see what I could do compared to others who were out
there in the novice ranks,” he said. “I did better than I thought
I’d do.”
For each round of impromptu speaking, Barnes said he was given a
quotation. He then had seven minutes to write and present a speech about
why the quotation was true or false.
Two quotations he spoke on were, “The bitterest wine is made out of
crushed ideals,” and “Pity the meek for they shall inherit the
earth.”
For extemporaneous speaking, Barnes said competitors had 30 minutes to
write a speech analyzing a current event-based question.
“We have to read and keep up to date on events all over the world,”
he said.
When writing extemporaneous speeches, contestants are allowed to look up
information from various sources, Barnes said. So the team cuts articles
from magazines and files them in Tupperware tubs that they take with on
trips.
But there is always the chance the team won’t have information on a
particular topic, he said.
The coaches play an important role in preparing the students for
competition, Unseth said. With poetry interpretation, for example, they
help the students develop facial expressions and distinct voices for the
different characters they portray.
Unseth said he likes poetry too much to have a favorite poet. Every year
he finds another poet and piece of poetry he loves, he said.
Unseth plans to attend seminary after graduation. After that, he said he
would like to be a church pastor.
“God has given me the skills I have and the desire to be in
forensics,” he said. “So I try to give Him the credit for whatever
success I have.”
Barnes, a mass media communications major and creative writing minor
said he would like to develop and produce TV shows, movies or video
games.
Unseth, a communications major and theater minor, said he would like to
voice TV and radio commercials in addition to being a pastor. He is
doing voice work around town, including playing a character in an
educational CD-ROM for kids.
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