Belton debate teams improve at this year’s districts

Andrea Sessions, Reporter
March 9, 2010
Filed under News

This year, the Belton High School debate team improved their rankings from last year’s rankings at Districts. The Fort Osage tournament the weekend before the District tournament prepared them tremendously.

Districts took place Friday, Mar. 5 and Saturday, Mar. 6, at Lee’s Summit High School.  A total of sixteen other schools attended the tournament.  There were twenty-eight debate students representing Belton at Districts.

Debate coach Timothy Hughes said season debate partners senior Jonathan Stacy and junior Patrick McMahon went undefeated the first round.

“It looked promising,” Hughes said.

Hughes said Stacy and McMahon made it to the semi-finals but lost 5-0 in Policy debate to the number one seeded team.

“This is the second time in three years Belton went undefeated and made it to Policy, but lost it in Policy,” Hughes said.

Stacy and McMahon took fourth place in the tournament.

Senior James Eldridge made it to round four, defeating Rockhurst High School and Lee’s Summit West High school, but unexpectedly losing to debaters from Raytown South High School and Lee’s Summit High School.

In Duo Interpretation, partners senior Christina Parle and sophomore Taylor Lind took seventh place, and partners senior Lauren Tinch and junior Shannon Armond took home eighth. 

Pembroke Hill High School took first place in the District tournament.  Although no teams from Belton qualified for nationals, the teams had an overall better showing than the previous year at Districts.