Students qualify for national debate tourney

Six Brainerd High School debate students will head to Dallas in June for the National Forensic League qualifying tournament.

Dave Pritschet, Brainerd Lincoln-Douglas debate head coach, said Wednesday the Brainerd students swept the qualifying debate meet last Thursday and Friday in Brainerd.

Students who competed in the qualifying meet were from Champlin Park, St. Francis, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, Grand Rapids, Moorhead and Brainerd.

Brainerd students who qualified for nationals in Lincoln-Douglas are seniors Taylor Stevenson and Rianna Kelash. Students who qualified in public forum are seniors Adam Pelkey and Sarah Gangl and juniors Andrew Kubas and Sara Swenson.

The Lincoln-Douglas topic was, "Is it fair for the state's power of eminent domain to be used to promote private enterprise?" The public forum topic was, "Should the public high school science curriculum in the United States include the study of the theory of intelligent design?"

Other Brainerd students who competed last week but did not qualify for nationals were sophomore Sonya Hills and juniors Danielle Fiebelkorn and Kelsi Ustipak.

Pritschet said out of 32 judges, the students who qualified lost from only two judges.

"I was impressed," said Pritschet. "I was sure we'd get some students through, but not this many. The students worked so hard as a group."

Pritschet said this is the third consecutive year that Brainerd has had two Lincoln-Douglas students qualify for nationals. The National Forensic League has three sections for Lincoln-Douglas debate and allows seven Minnesota students to qualify.

In January, Brainerd competed in a state meet, but none of the students made it to the quarterfinals.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER can be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.