The Great Bend High School Varsity Debate Team traveled to Hutchinson for the 2 Speaker Varsity State Championship Tournament on Jan. 11-12. To qualify for state the teams must have competed in four varsity tournaments and have a 50% win/loss record. Two teams qualified which consisted of the team of Michael Gieck and Kameko Schultz, as well as the team of Marissa Hoisington and Chase Pumford. They competed against 23 schools and 70 teams. The elimination rounds, which consisted of six, were directly power matched, which kept the teams on their toes throughout the two days they competed. The team of Michael Gieck and Kameko Schultz had a 50% win/loss record and it all came down to the final round and speaker points. Both teams represented the Great Bend High School very well. This was the last debate tournament of the school year as well as Chase Pumford’s, who is a senior at Great Bend High School. “High school debate has been a really great experience and it’s bittersweet to see it come to an end. I wish state could have gone better, but I still had a good time in some very competitive rounds,” stated Pumford. The Great Bend High School squad will be leaving the arguing and moving on to the acting because Forensics season is just around the corner.