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Las Positas College’s Talk Hawk forensics team scored their biggest victory to date at the 2020 The DVC Thing at Diablo Valley College last month.
Competing against 40 other colleges and universities from 11 different states, the Talk Hawks took first place by a landslide at their largest speech and debate tournament this year. Among the top five teams, Talk Hawk won with 127 points total; George Mason University came second with 50 points and Bradley University placed third with 46 points.
Held virtually, the tournament included a two-day swing speech with different debate competitions every day, and closed out with a final award ceremony in recognition of the weekend’s winners.
With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing all tournaments to shift to virtual formats, some “unique challenges” have arose, including addressing poor internet connectivity and making sure all technology is working properly from a distance, according to Jim Dobson, LPC communications studies instructor and Talk Hawk coaching staff member.
Dobson said the skills students have been learning in a virtual environment “will prepare them for future success.
“Myself and the rest of the Talk Hawk coaching staff, including Natalie Kellner and Tim Keisler, have been lucky to have such a great group of students that are providing support and connection with each other at a time when it is difficult to maintain that,” Dobson said.
Several Tri-Valley students won individual awards for various categories; they are as follows:
Livermore
Alejandra Quezada-Sermeno
1st Place – Novice Prose Interpretation
2nd Place – Novice Poetry Interpretation
3rd Place – Novice Impromptu Speaking
4th Place – Duo Interpretation (with Danny Georgiev)
Brennan Mock
3rd Place – Speaker for the entire tournament
2nd Place – Extemporaneous Speaking
2nd Place – Prose Interpretation
3rd Place – Impromptu Speaking
Pleasanton
Alexis Bondarenko
6th Place Informative Speaking
David Valadez
3rd Place – Duo Interpretation (with Casey Hamilton)
4th Place – After Dinner Speaking
