Ridge Speech And Debate Team Excels At The Tournament of Champions

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The Ridge High School Speech and Debate Team competed at the 51st annual University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions on April 15 to 17, in Lexington, Kentucky.

Freshman Faye Fletcher placed 3rd in Oral Interpretation, junior Natalie Ramirez Porras placed 3rd in Program Oral Interpretation, and junior Amy Cao placed 4th in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Director of Ridge Forensics, David Yastremski, commented on the team’s performance: “This year was the first time in-person at the Tournament of Champions since 2019. It was great to be back and see our students excel on the national stage, after working hard throughout the entire season and qualifying for this prestigious tournament.”

Multiple members advanced to outrounds. Semifinalists included Shree Manivel in Congressional Debate, Kevin Li in Extemporaneous Speaking, and Mimi Petric in Informative Speaking.

Quarterfinalists included Mimi Petric in Original Oratory, James Mathai in Original Oratory, and Aparna Iyer in Extemporaneous Speaking.

During the May 6-7 weekend, sophomore Navya Raju and freshman Aparna Iyer competed at the
Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Both Raju and Iyer were named quarterfinalists at the tournament.

The Ridge Team will also compete at the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament in Louisville, KY, in May, and at the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, in June. Nearly 35 students qualified for these national competitions this year.

Ridge Forensics will also host the 2023 Ridge Forensics Speech and Debate Institute this summer. The summer institute is open to students in grades 5-9, and will run from July 10-14 and July 17-21. This opportunity will prepare students for tournaments and develop their public speaking and charisma. More information can be found on ridgeforensics.com.

— Submitted by Daniel Norris