Klein Oak debate recently competed at the annual Longhorn Classic at the University of Texas Austin Dec. 7-8. Students from all over the nation came to compete at this tournament, making it extremely vigorous for any participants.

In anticipation of the competition, Debate members prepared almost every day during class and panther den to make sure their speeches and performances would be the best they could be.

“We all took a shuttle to UT that had air conditioning and heat which was really nice,” junior Julian Szyszka said. “We talked and practiced the whole way there. We stayed at a hotel nearby and practiced with teammates.”

Optimistic and determined to win a medal at this tournament, members used it as practice for the upcoming state and national qualifier tournaments.

“I’m going to get a medal one way or another,” senior debate president Jeremiah Williams said.

Although some went for the big trophy and state qualification, others approached the tournament as a learning experience.

“My goals were to learn from each round and try to make the next one better,” senior Marc Wynne said.

The team did very well overall at the tournament as Marc Wynne won 6th place in Humorous Interpretation and he was a semifinalist in Program of Oral Interpretation and Oratory.

“It’s a great experience, because I’ve worked the past four years to make it to finals and now I finally have,” Wynne said.

Noor Iqbal was also a semifinalist in Oratory and Jeremiah Williams was a semifinalist in Congressional Debate.

The winners were pleased with their final placements and now push themselves to do better at future tournaments by using every critique they received.

“I did great and have room to do better,” Williams said. “UT was great, but now my eyes are on state!”

The results of this tournament came as a big surprise since they did not attend many tournaments.

“Despite not attending as many tournaments, the students had the best results in the history of Klein Oak,” debate coach Angie Richard said.

Both coaches said they are extremely proud of their students with the talent each displayed at the tournament.

“I was very proud of Marc, Jeremiah, and Noor,” assistant coach Debbie Carpenter said. “The UT competition is a prestigious tournament and their wins reflect the excellence of their performances. Klein Oak has an exceptional Speech and Debate Department and Mrs. Richard helped students develop the skills and talents they possess.”