Senior Raechel Zoellick (Elk Grove Village) took first in both Program Oral Interpretation and Communication Analysis in the Steve Hunt Classic in Portland, Oregon from Oct. 7th – 9th hosted by Lewis and Clark University. The team took second place overall. Zoellick took third and junior Faith Hincapie (Northbrook) took fifth in Individual Sweepstakes.
- Zoellick also took third in After Dinner Speaking.
- Hincapie took first in After Dinner Speaking and fourth in Communication Analysis.
- Sophomore Henry Davenport (Elk Grove Village) took second in Extemporaneous and sixth in Communication Analysis.
- Senior Sarah Sanders (Marion) took third in Persuasion and fourth in Extemporaneous.
- Junior Alyssa Conde (Joliet) took third in Prose and sixth in Dramatic Interpretation.
- Sophomore Michelle Ryan (Chicago Heights) took third in Poetry.
- Senior Sarah Keller took fourth in Persuasion. Sophomore Jedge Slothower took fifth in Persuasion and sixth in Informative.
This was the first major tournament the team was able to travel to this season. They traveled by plane and stayed in a hotel for the duration of their visit. They were also able to make friends with other teams on the circuit.
“Traveling to and from Portland was honestly terrible. We had to be up at two a.m. so a lot of us had an all-nighter before the flights and were all insanely tired,” said Zoellick.
“It was so fun getting to travel with my teammates. It felt great to be back in person. I loved getting to see our friends from Lewis and Clark,” said Sanders.
“This tournament was the reassurance or push that a lot of us needed… the circuit is not going to be ready for what ISU puts out there.”
Raechel Zoellick
The team worked hard on their pieces this season and have been getting a positive reception from judges across the circuit.
“The high point of the tournament was seeing everyone from ISU break to finals. We had put in so much work leading up to this tournament and seeing it pay off was empowering,” said Zoellick.
Overall, the team members made new memories and were able to grow closer together throughout their time in Portland.
“…we all spent so much time together and sometimes we would be so delirious from having little to no sleep so we would kinda just laugh at anything,” said Hincapie
“Our team is always full of inside jokes which led to a weekend full of laughs,” said Keller.
With their first big away tournament finished the team is setting its eyes on the rest of the season, eager for what’s ahead and confident in their pieces.
“This tournament was the reassurance or push that a lot of us needed. For some, events are now qualed and can now take a break before they see the Norton. For others, results were the kick to make the next version of the performance that much better at the next competition. Either way, the circuit is not going to be ready for what ISU puts out there,” said Zoellick.
The ISU Forensics Union, the oldest and most successful registered student organization on campus, boasts over 80 individual national champions and 10 team national championships. The team competes at tournaments in Lincoln-Douglas debate, public speaking, and oral interpretation events.