Forensics Union Team earns first in State tournament

Out of 18 participating schools, the Truman State University Forensics Union Team received first place overall in the Missouri Association of Forensics Activities (MAFA) State Tournament Feb. 13-14. 

Held at Webster University, the 21 chosen team members participated in a multitude of speech and debate events, with each category breaking down into different performing styles and formats. Forty places were earned among the attendees, and seven of them were state champion titles. 

Jessie Phillips, senior member of the team, said the team had traditionally done well in this specific annual tournament, so they wanted to continue showing up and showing out.

“At this point in the season, we’re about halfway done,” Phillips said. “We’re getting more feedback. We’re really shaping and honing and being picky about what we want. Not only are [our pieces] about looking cool, but also actually making an impact, because advocacy is what matters the most in this activity.”

To prepare for the tournament, the group met every Tuesday from 6-9 p.m. to get direct feedback from coaches. On top of regular meetings, multiple workshops were held to give students space to practice and participate in exercises. Phillips said many members had been working on their speeches since Sept. and performed them at multiple other tournaments before reaching MAFA.

Throughout the competition, Zoe Walker, junior, said even though many rounds overlapped, team members always found ways to support each other whenever they could. She said it was not uncommon to see students attending another student’s event or coaching each other before the round began.

While Walker said the University’s team environment was positive, she also said the overall forensics community provided a safe space for her to advocate for ideas she was passionate about.

“It’s nice to go to tournaments and see people that look like me, or even hear other people’s experiences that they’ve had that they’ve turned into speeches,” Walker said. “You’ll watch a piece and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so good.’ It’s really cool to see what some people do.”

Since he has been doing speech and debate since high school, Aiden Breesawitz, senior, said he has seen the same people from different schools learn and grow in their forensics skills around him. Ultimately, Breesawitz said at the end of the competition, it’s less about his own individual successes and more about the community built from it.

For Ben Davis, assistant professor of communication and director of the speech and debate team, working for the tournament staff at MAFA and handing students their awards at the end of the competition allowed him to see the joy the activity can bring.

 “It’s really cool to see students from the team come up, no matter what their placements are, and have the recognition for their hard work that they’ve done,” Davis said. “For me, it’s a full circle moment to be like, ‘This is yours [and] you’ve worked hard for this.’ And just seeing the faces of all the students kind of gives me my fire for why I do this.”

The forensics team will participate in their next tournament, the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament, the week after spring break, before preparing to compete in the National Forensic Association National Comprehensive Tournament April 16-20. For University students, the team’s annual showcase, Big Dogs Gotta Eat, will be held April 10 from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Kirk Building Forum. 

All 21 of the competitors display their awards at the end of the Missouri Association of Forensics Activities (MAFA) State Tournament awards ceremony Feb. 14. 40 places were earned among the attendees, and seven of them were state champion titles. (Photo submitted by Jessie Phillips)