The Bowie Forensics team (Speech and Debate) have qualified for State three years in a row, and competed at the Texas Forensic Association (TFA) State Meet in Plano,Texas on March 9-11.

Bowie had 33 eligible students to compete, placing Bowie in a high rank among other Texas schools, including private and magnet schools.

“There’s a huge interest of forensics at Bowie which is why I think they’ve been able to make it to State all three years,” sophomore Tate Weston said.

Weston who has been a part of the debate team for two years, is participating in the Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking (Exempt) category and Lincoln Douglas (LD) debate.

For him, as well as other students, forensics is a big part of his life, which takes dedication and late nights studying cases.

“A way I prepare my arguments is looking back at old cases which I find online that may relate to the argument I have to prepare for,” Weston said.

A lot of devising is done even before the school year begins. Many come in August for “Forensics Boot Camp,” an event to help teach freshmen that are interested in competing.

“The kids also stay after school and work on things, they prepare in class, and those competing usually collaborate and get new ideas,” forensics advisor Brian Alford said.  

There is a variety of categories that students compete in, and for many, the category they compete in reflects off of their personality and preferences.

Weston said, “In LD, you have to make complex and weird arguments, which reflects something about me.”

Aside from debate, there is oral interpretation (Interp), which relates to theater but is very different at the same time.

“Interp is different from theater because in theater you are conveying emotion in your character, but in interp you are trying to make the audience feel something through your performance,” sophomore Kaedon Solona said, as she competed in Humorous Interpretation at the state meet.

Humorous Interpretation is a solo performance in which a character is played by changing physical appearance and voice quickly.

“I have a lot of energy and a very extroverted personality, so the Humorous Interpretation category really fits my personality,” Solona said.

There are a lot of emotions buzzing all throughout the competition process.

“Usually at tournaments I get spurts of energy. They’re really exciting especially if you’re winning, there’s a huge sense of accomplishment,” Weston said.

Aside from the new experience, it is also a challenge with the best of the best coming together. The competitors have already had previous experience and know which approaches work best.

For Alford  this year’s qualification for state is not too different from previous years, but he still has goals in mind when attending.

“We always want to get a few more qualified than the year before,” Alford said.

This year the team attended 19 TFA qualifiers in addition to some UIL tournaments. Students are required to earn 12 TFA points to qualify for the state tournament.

For competitors who are new, making it to State is a huge accomplishment but also a new experience.

“For me, competitions tend to be stressful but I really enjoy it because of the great community. State is going to be much harder because it takes previous success to make it to state,” Solona said.  

Alford says he and the other coaches work just as hard as the students at the fast paced and hectic tournaments.

“We, the coaches, are used to run the tournaments, judge, and help with events. So there’s a lot of stress associated with tournaments,” Alford said.

Weston has a vision prior before going into the competition.

“I would really like to make it to outrounds of State this year in both my events, it’s definitely going to be harder, but if I do beat them, it will be very fulfilling,” Weston said.