Seymour Debate Hopes to Regain State Championship

As school begins, so do a variety of sports and clubs; unfortunately, in all of this turmoil it is easy for some clubs to get left behind. This, sadly enough, has been the case for the Seymour Forensics team. What makes this club’s lack of publicity shocking is its unprecedented success over the past few years. Take for instance in 2005 when the team captured a State Championship in Public Forum Debate and then followed up in 2006 with a State 2^nd place in Public Forum.

Even more remarkably, this team has maintained this high level of success. Last year current club president Nathan Johnston picked up a District Championship in Extemporaneous Speaking and a State Championship in Student Congress Debate. When asked about the future of the team he said, “I am very optimistic about what is to come for the team this year. We have some new comers who are show the potential to make a pretty big first year splash, and hopefully contend with the big dogs in the future.” This year the Seymour Forensics team has picked up an additional 4 Public Forum Teams composed of members like Andrew Turner, Savannah Worley, Devin Duckworth, and returning debater Nick Dionas. Nick is no new comer to debate; his success of coming in 3^rd at the Smoky Mountain Invitational last year should give him the experience to do well through out the season.

With such high hopes for a club it is hard to believe that it can be left behind by school funding. When asked Coach Danielle Smallwood said, “we try and make the money stretch as far as it can go. I don’t want the students to miss out on any opportunities.” This year the team begins on participating on the national circuit for the first time ever. Obviously, this will be a costly endeavor. The team will be having fundraisers periodically throughout the season, but the team will be accepting donations year long. Anyone interested in making a donation can contact Danielle Smallwood (Coach) (danielletrainer@sevier.org or at 865-742-7390) or Nathan Johnston (Team Captain) (natenmj1@hotmail.com or 865-573-3766). Any donations will be very much appreciated and can be used as a tax write off for the provider. The team wishes everyone a great year!