Beginning their season with a win, the West Chester University Forensics Team took top honors at the Collegiate Forensic Association (CFA) Fall Tournament this past week. The team consists of an elite group of WCU students who compete in debate and public speaking tournaments across the nation.The CFA, a regional organization, brings together collegiate forensic teams from across the country to compete for the coveted Welch-Strine Cup. The team beat out schools from all over the nation to regain the title they achieved at last spring’s competition. Speakers competed in a range of impromptu and prepared events that included after dinner speaking and poetry interpretation. The after dinner speaking event is a prepared public speech that uses humor as its central premise. The speaker uses a variety of different forms of comedy such as puns, metaphors and physical and vocal exaggerations to support a serious central theme. The event can be seen more as a stand-up comedy routine in that the speaker uses humor to string together a central theme to the audience.
Poetry interpretation is a performance event that involves student interpretation of various literary works. Students use a wide range of multi-sensory imagery to convey the emotions and themes of the chosen works. The literature covered in the event varies in content, mood and tone, but is chosen by the student for the event. The speakers are not allowed to use any theatrical conventions such as costumes, lighting, or props during the interpretation. They must rely only on a copy of the manuscript and their imagination.
Those who received individual honors at the competition are as follows:
Dan Blomquist, junior honors criminal justice major from Monroeville, NJ: first place in Parliamentary Debate with partner Hershel Cohen; first place in Extemporaneous Speaking; first place in Impromptu Sales; third place in Persuasive Speaking; and fourth place in Impromptu Speaking.
Hershel Cohen, junior communication disorders major from Torrance, Cali.: first place in Parliamentary Debate with Dan Blomquist, and fifth place Speaker in Parliamentary Debate.
Laura Mikowychok, senior English literature major from Downingtown, Pa.: second place in Parliamentary Debate with partner Eric Smith; fifth place in Poetry Interpretation; and sixth place Speaker in Parliamentary Debate.
Amiekay Richcrick, junior communication studies major from York, Pa.: second place in Poetry Interpretation and second place in After Dinner Speaking;
Eric Smith, senior mathematics education major from Shamokin, Pa.: first place in Persuasive Speaking; first place in Impromptu Speaking; second place in Parliamentary Debate with partner Laura Mikowychok; second place in Impromptu Sales; third place Speaker in Parliamentary Debate; and fourth place in Extemporaneous Speaking.
The team hopes to continue their winning streak at the second leg of the competition Nov. 11-12 at New York University. If you are interested in joining the forensics team, visit the forensics office is located in Main 016 in the basement of Main Hall.