The SDSU Forensics team headed abroad over spring break to follow their team motto and speak their passion, all while competing with other students from around the world.
Fourteen student team members and both coaches went on a five-day trip to Dublin, Ireland, where they competed in events ranging from impromptu speaking to after-dinner speaking. Many competitors have been working on their speeches since last August because they have been competing all year.
The team competed at a hotel in Dublin for two days along with 40 other university teams from different countries. The awards were then held at Trinity College, where multiple team members placed within the top 10.
Kara Vetch, a senior majoring in data science, placed seventh overall in the impromptu speaking category and was a semifinalist in after-dinner speaking. Hannah Dayaget, a sophomore majoring in political science and global studies, placed fourth overall in prose interpretation and was a semifinalist in informative speaking. They also were semifinalists in five other events.
Andrea Carlile, the director of Forensics at SDSU and an assistant professor of communication, helped prepare the students for the 11 different categories of competition in each tournament.
They used this tournament to gain more experience and get feedback from judges they normally wouldn’t get since it was an international competition.
“I get to work with amazing students who are willing to learn and grow, and (I) get to watch them find the courage to say their thoughts and know they matter,” Carlile said.
For Vetch, the Forensics team has opened opportunities for her throughout the three years she has been competing. From attending the oldest tournament in the nation, to having her speeches published, Vetch said she has found a second family and she takes away growth, knowledge and memories through her relationships and experiences with this team.
“The trip to Ireland was a place for me to get my events out there at an international level and achieve a new aspect of advocacy for my events,” Vetch said. “It was really nice to be able to compete but also to just relax, have fun, and enjoy the experience, both within and outside of the competition.”
Dayaget used the trip to gain feedback because it was an ideal competition to prepare for nationals. Since 40 teams were competing, it was bigger than their normal competitions but smaller than nationals, which typically has 65 to 70 teams. This allowed her to gain new feedback.
“Speech and debate is a lot broader than we can even imagine, and this competition showed me that there are so many other schools and judges that we would normally not encounter in our season,” Dayaget said.
The team experienced many highlights outside of the competition as well. They enjoyed team dinners, which was a nice bonding experience for all of them. They toured museums, such as The Irish Emigration Museum. They also toured the Guinness Storehouse and Trinity College.
Carlile said she is proud of how her students handled themselves on the trip and feels honored and privileged to do what she does.
“This trip will leave an imprint on their lives that they will carry with them wherever they go,” Carlile said. “Because you never know the impact, not only this trip but every experience in general, will have on them that expands past the competitions.”