University team places 17th in national tournament
LSU wins state championship title
Ben Bourgeois
Issue date: 2/13/08 Section: News
The LSU Speech and Debate Team traveled to Feb. 2 San Diego for a national tournament on the heels of their state championship victory.
The Sunset Cliffs Classic was held at Point Loma Nazarene University. Four students represented LSU in the competition.
Stephen Chandler was a double-octafinalist in Senior National Parliamentary Debate Association Debate.
Team captain Chris Cummings was a double-octafinalist in Senior NPDA debate with Chandler and was a quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate.
Kevin Garner was sixth place in speech to entertain and twelfth place as a Junior NPDA Speaker.
Ginger Gibson, Daily Reveille columnist, was third place in extemporaneous debate and a semifinalist in impromptu debate.
Fifty-nine colleges competed at the pre-national showcase tournament. LSU placed 17th.
The tournament was one of the few opportunities for the team to travel and compete nationally this semester.
The team's coach, Crystal-Lane Swift, said traveling competitors need to maintain a 2.5 GPA and have the coach's approval.
Mike Applin, director of the speech and debate program, said the team's travels are also limited by its small budget. He said the team is able to travel because of a grant given to them for the spring semester.
Student Government gave the team a grant of $10,000 this semester.
"Without that money, there would have been no way for us to compete nationally," Applin said.
Applin said he feels confident in competing nationally because the team members put forth so much effort.
"The debate team is the academic equivalent of football," Applin said.
He said they put forth as much research and practice as football players do on the field.
The team's excellent performance in San Diego comes after its victory in Tri-State Championship in January.
Cummings won first place in Louisiana in extemporaneous speaking and was a semifinalist in NPDA debate. He also won third place in Lincoln-Douglas debate.
The Sunset Cliffs Classic was held at Point Loma Nazarene University. Four students represented LSU in the competition.
Stephen Chandler was a double-octafinalist in Senior National Parliamentary Debate Association Debate.
Team captain Chris Cummings was a double-octafinalist in Senior NPDA debate with Chandler and was a quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate.
Kevin Garner was sixth place in speech to entertain and twelfth place as a Junior NPDA Speaker.
Ginger Gibson, Daily Reveille columnist, was third place in extemporaneous debate and a semifinalist in impromptu debate.
Fifty-nine colleges competed at the pre-national showcase tournament. LSU placed 17th.
The tournament was one of the few opportunities for the team to travel and compete nationally this semester.
The team's coach, Crystal-Lane Swift, said traveling competitors need to maintain a 2.5 GPA and have the coach's approval.
Mike Applin, director of the speech and debate program, said the team's travels are also limited by its small budget. He said the team is able to travel because of a grant given to them for the spring semester.
Student Government gave the team a grant of $10,000 this semester.
"Without that money, there would have been no way for us to compete nationally," Applin said.
Applin said he feels confident in competing nationally because the team members put forth so much effort.
"The debate team is the academic equivalent of football," Applin said.
He said they put forth as much research and practice as football players do on the field.
The team's excellent performance in San Diego comes after its victory in Tri-State Championship in January.
Cummings won first place in Louisiana in extemporaneous speaking and was a semifinalist in NPDA debate. He also won third place in Lincoln-Douglas debate.
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