This past weekend, the Ottumwa High School Bulldog Debate Team went 4-3 at an incredibly tough tournament, the Mid-America Cup at West Des Moines Valley.
In the process, juniors Riley Albertson and Collin Kepner advanced with a record of 4-2 to the Double Octofinals round. Out of 56 teams in the tournament, Ottumwa was one of only four Iowa teams to make the top 20.
This is the first of 10 tournaments the team will compete in this year. The team has 14 students, including four newcomers. Last year, the team attended more events while improving their record. The majority of what we do is called "public forum" debate, which involves two teams of two debaters each, arguing about a topic that changes monthly.
Debate team members include: Alex Halverson, Riley Albertson, Collin Kepner, Kalina Eskew, Martha Melchor, Sara Neubert, Eric Chelgren, Bailee Rominger, Christian Silva, Valerie McNeese, Jaida Garcia, Sage Stevens, Ryan Eddy, and Gracie Bahena.
