Cameron University’s Speech and Debate team has gotten off to a stellar start in forensics competition this semester, taking first in Lincoln-Douglas debate sweepstakes and second in combined debate sweepstakes at the recent Debate On the Plains tournament, hosted by Hutchinson Community College. One week prior, the team placed fourth overall in combined individual events and debate sweepstakes at the Bob R. Derryberry Memorial Season Opener, hosted by Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo.
Twenty schools from seven states faced off at the Debate on the Plains tournament. In NPDA Parliamentary debate, Skylar Williams, a junior from Newton, Okla., and Zakirya Rajpari a sophomore from Tahlequah, Okla., teamed to reach the quarterfinal round.
In NFA-LD debate, both Williams and Rajpari advanced to the semifinal round. Rajpari received the fourth place speaker award in NFA-LD.
Other team members participating in the tournament were Cameron Brewer, a junior from Moore, Okla.; Jerad Gee, a sophomore from Tulsa, Okla.; Steven Haber, a sophomore from Lawton, Okla.; Daphne Orebaugh, a sophomore from Great Bend; Kynzie Pierce, a freshman from Frederick, Okla; and Katelynn Wright, a sophomore from Lawton, Okla.
Cameron faced 16 schools from six states at the Bob R. Derryberry Memorial Season Opener 2012.
Wright and Haber teamed to reach the quarterfinal round of Public Forum debate. Wright also made it to the final round in Prose Interpretation, finishing second in that category.
Other team members were Brooke Cochran, a freshman from Lawton, Okla.; Gee; and Pierce.