Coming off their win at Nationals, the Carroll Speech and Debate team will compete at the Grapevine Classic Tournament this weekend. It will take place at Grapevine High School and teams are vying for a bid in order to advance to the Tournament of Champions.

Students have been preparing for this tournament since August 12, when their boot camp was held. After school, individual practice sessions are held for each respective event where they have been working with their captains on researching their topics and developing speeches. 

“I might sound harsh when I talk to them during meetings but I do that because I know that I can push them so that they can perform well,” speech captain and junior Uma Devarakonda said. “I am really proud of them and the progress that they have made.” 

On June 16 in Phoenix, Arizona, now-alum Anbu Subramanian and current senior and co-president Bailey Koh won first place in Public Forum Debate at the National Speech & Debate Association Tournament, becoming the first national champions from Texas. Koh hopes that after seeing their victory, the team will realize that winning is not unattainable.

“It felt great to win, especially because it was completely unexpected. Anbu and I have put in a lot of work ever since we joined back in seventh grade, so seeing everything come to fruition was really rewarding,” Koh said.

This week students are on the final push, sorting out their nerves, perfecting their speeches, and preparing evidence to be used in debates. In order to get to the Tournament of Champions, which is the final tournament of the year, each team needs to get two bids at qualifying competitions.

“Our team has been prepping really hard and I’m excited for the way [the tournament] will go. I hope that I will win and advance to some of the bigger tournaments,” junior Anishka Chokshi said.

The Grapevine Classic Tournament will mark the start of a new season for the speech and debate teams, and hopes are high.

“I can definitely see all the events doing very well at Grapevine and maybe even winning,” Koh said. “Each and every event has people who are both extremely hardworking and talented, so I don’t doubt any of their abilities to win it all.”