Forensics Future Bright (03-12-07)

Forensics. Sigh. The very word brings back sweet memories for me. When I took my first position to teach 7-12 English for Wheatland High School, I can still remember being told that I would also coach forensics.

I remember wondering, what was forensics? I looked up the term in the dictionary, and found out that it referred to the art of giving testimony in a public setting, usually pertaining to a court of law. I remembered the TV show Quincy about a “forensic scientist”, where a coroner would catch the bad guys after examining the corpses they left behind. I wondered if I had just agreed to coach some kind of team for the morgue. Would we compete at the courthouse?

I soon learned that Forensics was more like a track meet for public speakers. Like track, the events are for individual or small group competition, and the scores of the individuals are compiled to tally a team score. Also like track, which has three distinct areas of competition (throwing, jumping, and running), forensics competitors can chose to compete in nine events also in three areas, being speech giving, interpretation, and acting.

After 8 years as a head coach, I found myself directing a Learning Center, and then teaching at a charter school, and out of the coaching loop. All that changed this Monday, when I accompanied our Forensics team to the league tournament at Smith Center. While I was not a coach, I got to be around a forensics teams for the first time in a great while, and I was astounded by what I witnessed.

Our Hill City High School Forensics Team is young, energetic, hard working, and very talented. Oh, and did I mention huge? Something like 40 students will be representing HCHS at competitions this spring, and the forensics buzz is definitely in the air!

Now I have been around some pretty good teams. A couple of my Wheatland teams did well, but more than that, I was lucky enough to find myself neighbors with the best 2A forensics squads in the state. While at Wheatland, we competed week after week against Quinter High school, and at Inman, I was 20 minutes from Moundridge, and Sterling.

Folks, I can’t remember the last time Quinter, Moundridge, and Sterling didn’t finish 1-2-3 at 2A State Champs. I think they may have worked out a secret pact where they just hand the championship plaque back and forth among themselves.

On Monday, I saw much to give Hill City hope for a bright forensics future. First, we took a full 18 entries. Good teams always take full squads each time out. Next, I saw kids working hard, and working for the entire day. Just like in other activities, to be successful requires constant practice. To reach the top, the student has to have a lot of drive, and I saw this commitment to improvement from many of the Hill City competitors. Furthermore, while Forensics is mainly an individual or two-person competition, good forensics teams help the individual through constant support and camaraderie.

Perhaps, of all the good things I observed on Monday, this part is what gives me the greatest hope for the future of Hill City Forensics. Our kids were there for each other. When they weren’t lining up to watch each other perform, they were helping each other practice. When somebody slipped, several would jump in with words of encouragement. I was utterly impressed with how well our students got along with each other, and with the serious professional attitude they displayed throughout the day. I could have been watching Quinter or Moundridge or Sterling.

We had 11 of our 18 entries break into finals and five qualified for state and I think we are just getting started. With the number of freshman on our squad, with our amazing senior leadership, and with the experience and wisdom of Mrs. Pratt and Mrs. Ellis, our two stellar coaches, I predict that the Hill City High School Forensics Team will just keep getting better.

Of course, I admit that I am little bit biased. Forensics was my thing. While I can’t go back to my coaching days, I consider myself honored to get to watch and cheer from the sidelines. I will always remember my first time to really watch this team, and I look forward to all the sweet memories this special team will undoubtedly create for us all.