Lewiston Debaters Shine at State Competition

By: Corey Potvin

The State Lincoln-Douglas Debate tournament took place on February 12th at Edward Little High School. Debaters endured a grueling four to seven rounds of competition in a meet that ended up lasting for twelve full hours. After the first four rounds, the top eight debaters in each division (novice, junior varsity, and varsity) went on to compete in the final rounds, which were decided by a three-judge panel. Any loss after that resulted in elimination of the debater from the tournament. In the end, the Lewiston Debate Team once again proved that it's one of the best in the State. Mae Tobin-Hochstadt plowed through the ranks to place 2nd in the State. Mae and Brunswick debater Niko Cornell waged a hard-fought battle in the final round, with the result being a very close 2-1 split decision. Corey Potvin was named a varsity quarterfinalist after being eliminated in the fifth round by Niko. Other participants were Varsity Debaters Aaron Strong, Jacob Parakilas, and Roy Wandell. Cara Gaumont competed in Novice Debate.

In the Student Congress Competition, which lasted for 4 intense hours of congressional debate over student-written legislation, Johanna Mathieu received Honorable Mention in the Senate. Paul Brunetti (Senate) and Dominick Ward-Pistone (House of Representatives) also competed and did admirable jobs.

Lewiston debaters hope to keep it up at CFL (Catholic Forensic League) Districts on March 4th at Saint Dom's. The winners of this tournament will go on to the national competition, which will take place in Rochester, NY in May.