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Earlier this winter, as she prepared for her nal sea- son of speech and debate on Columbia Falls’ 10-time defending state champion- ship team, Emily Getts sat down to write the speech that could determine her team’s fate.
It would be a daunting task for any- one, writing a 10-minute oration that must be memorized and presented with enthusiasm, compassion and intellect. It requires con dence and passion and, not to be overlooked, a good idea to pass 10 minutes in front of several judges.
Only two years earlier, Getts was an anxious sophomore searching for her voice as a public speaker. In the begin- ning, she struggled.
“I was scared,” she says. “I did really bad.”
There are 12 events in speech and debate, each one requiring equal amounts brainpower and force of personality com- bined with hours of preparation, as chal- lenging and sweat-provoking as many team sports, but with di erent uniforms. Public speaking, acting and interpreta- tion are the foundations of speech and debate, or forensics, which, you could debate, is one of the oldest sports on earth, dating back to the ancient Greeks.
The weight of that world was not on Getts’ shoulders when she sat down this winter; instead the Columbia Falls senior simply wanted to write a speech that would mean something to her and those listening.
Her coach recommended ideas, but none could overpower the one that stuck in her mind. Since she was a young girl, Getts loved photography.
“My speech stemmed from my pas- sion,” she says. “If you’re not passionate then no one else will be involved in your speech.”
Within a few days, she had it written and memorized.
The speech tapped into the history of photographs and how they were rst developed. It explained what they meant to her and how they can broaden others’ understanding and expand empathy.
“The ability to hold a moment of time is incredible,” she says in her speech. “To me photography is magic.”
Last weekend Getts performed her
speech one last time. She won the state championship and Columbia Falls cap-
quality to the Flathead Valley’s
speech and debate tradition, both individually among the local schools and as a collective.
The regular season wrapped up last weekend and once again our local teams were near the top, or at the top, of the state standings. Columbia Falls con- tinued its remarkable Class A streak, winning its 18th overall championship. White sh placed second, its sixth run- ner-up trophy to go alongside a state title in 2004.
Flathead narrowly placed second in Class AA and Glacier was a close third at the two-day tournament in Billings. Despite missing out on the team trophy
UNDEBATABLE GREATNESS
Glacier High School senior Aaron Robinson.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
here is a magical and amazing tT
ured its 11th team title in a row.
BY THE NUMBERS
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F
FLATHEAD HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAM- PIONSHIPS, THE MOST AMONG ALL CLASS AA SCHOOLS SINCE STATEWIDE COMPETITION BEGAN IN 1936. THE FIRST
“TO BE IN A PROGRAM WHERE YOU GO TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT AND YOU KNOW YOU’LL BRING HOME FIRST, SECOND OR THIRD EVERY YEAR IS PRETTY AMAZING.”
4LATHEAD TEAM ORGANIZED IN 1915. GLACIER HIGH SCHOOL STATE TITLES IN
ONLY NINE YEARS SINCE THE SCHOOL OPENED. THE TEAM HAS FINISHED IN THE TOP THREE ALL BUT ONCE, THE PROGRAM’S FIRST YEAR IN 2007.
SHANNON O’DONNELL,
White sh High School senior Abbie Belcher.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
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SPEECH AND DEBATE HEAD COACH AT FLATHEAD HIGH SCHOOL
COLUMBIA FALLS HIGH SCHOOL STATE TITLES, MOST AMONG CLASS A SCHOOLS AND 11 STRAIGHT.
LOCAL COACHES INDUCTED INTO THE MONTANA FORENSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION COACHES HALL OF FAME
92nd
Greg Adkins, Glacier, 2016
Michael Christensen, Columbia Falls, 2014 Mac Swan, Polson, 2011
Tom Richardson, Flathead, 2009
Sue Brown, Flathead, 2004
David Hashley, Flathead, 1998
Harold Tusler, Columbia Falls, 1995 Connie Wagner, Flathead, 1992
Flathead’s national ranking for the 2014-15 school year. The National Speech and Debate Association ranked more than 3,200 member schools based
on competitive performance and participation in service-related activities. The team was also rec- ognized as a prestigious Societe’ de 300 program, which is based on the number of kids successfully competing in a program. This accolade placed Flat- head in the top 3 percent of programs in the nation.
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FEBRUARY 3, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM