NC Speech and Debate team is preparing for their first meet of the year in Rock Springs, Wyoming on November 14-15. The team was formed a little later than normal this year due to the selection process for a new coach not being completed until mid to late October. Lisa Gray, NC English and journalism teacher for 33 years was selected to be the new speech and debate coach. Gray has 18 years experience coaching forensics (another name for speech and debate); two of these years were for NC coaching alongside former coach Mary Hoard. 

Gray was asked last year by Hoard, who was considering retiring, if she would be interested in coaching speech and debate. Gray said, “I thought about it for a long time. I thought about the travel and I decided ‘Why not? I do like it.’” Gray said she applied for the position in July 2019 but did not officially get the position until around two weeks into October. Gray said she wasn’t at all nervous to start coaching the team. 

Gray teaches five different classes: junior IB English, senior IB English, Journalism I, Journalism II and Publications and Productions. When asked how she is able to get everything done for all her different classes and also speech and debate, Gray said, “I have to really budget my time and use my prep periods wisely. I take work home, and so when we (the speech and debate team) start traveling I will also be taking my school work with me so I can work on it while I’m at speech and debate meets. It’s a balancing act. That is for sure.”

Gray’s goal for the team is to get to nationals. To do this, speech and debate participants must win a category at the Wind River District competition. So far, NC already has one student, Lauren Blackwelder (12), prequalified for the national competition. Gray said that there were many students who were very close last year and she is going to help improve their skills in order for them to make it to nationals. 

Brianna Warner, a senior on the NC Speech and Debate team, decided to join the team her sophomore year after hearing a lot of fun stories from her friend who was on the team the previous year. Also, “I always had an interest in just being able to express thoughts, but I was never good at it, and I wanted to overcome that.” 

Teaching students how to express themselves through words is the exact reason why Gray said she likes coachhing forensics. Gray said, “They (participants in speech and debate) can pretty much stand up and talk to anyone” after participating in speech and debate. “Words are powerful. When you can communicate with confidence, you can conquer anything,” Gray said.

When asked if she was worried about the team being started later than normal this year Warner said, “I was worried for those who were just joining the team, but those who had experience I knew would be ok.” Warner said that in the past she has competed mostly in the speech category of forensics, but she has decided to focus on debate this year because, “I realized a lot of my talents lie not in acting but rather in critical thinking.” 

Warner’s favorite part about being on the team is the close bonds formed among the team members. Warner said that she is most looking forward to just having a fun time with the team during her senior year. “Whether I do really well or really poorly I know I’m just here for a good time this year.”