GHS Speech opens at novice meet

The Greybull High School Speech and Debate team kicked off its 2023-2024 season last Saturday with a third-place finish in 1A/2A at a novice-only tournament in Cody.
According to coach Joel Kuper, the novice event “brought together students that were competing in their first year and provided a more equitable and less stressful introduction to competitive speech.”
Seniors Katie Murph and Noela Libner and junior Elena Campos represented Greybull at the event.
Murph surpassed her competitors in Poetry, placing second or higher throughout her preliminary rounds and going on to capture first in the final. Libner also competed in Poetry and took fourth overall.
Campos put forth a strong performance in Original Oratory and ended the tournament in second place.
“This was the first time any of our competitors had spoken in front of judges,” Kuper said. “The three competitors we had did an excellent job and show some real promise for future tournaments.”
Greybull was one of six schools that participated, with rival Hot Springs finishing second and newcomer Burlington taking first in the close competition.
Varsity members Tyler Searfoss and Cadence Fostervold also accompanied the team as judges. Fostervold judged rounds in Extemporaneous Speaking and Duo Interpretation. Searfoss judged rounds in Public Forum Debate and was the parliamentarian for Congressional Debate, the event he claimed a 1A/2A state championship in last year.
The speech team will travel to Wyoming Indian for another novice tournament Saturday, Nov. 18.
“I hope we have some additional competitors for WIHS that did not make it to Cody. This could strengthen our efforts and give us some momentum leading into the December varsity season,” Kuper said.