Pictured left to right: Brad Tomasovic, Kate Wilkins (front), Kaylee Little, Davis Thompson
HELENA – Alone in Carroll classrooms, with only their wits and their laptops, the Talking Saints Forensics team won awards at two large online debate tournaments over the past month.
The YODL online debate league hosts four online tournaments each year, culminating in a championship tournament held in person in the spring.
In the first YODL event on October 4-5, a first-year Talking Saint team advanced to the quarterfinals of the open division. Carroll novices Kate Wilkins from Salt Lake City Utah, and Kaylee Little from Boise, Idaho, were among the 16 teams in a field of 88 to compete in quarters.
Wilkins and Little both won speaker awards with Wilkins finishing second in novice, and Little ranked sixth. The YODL event attracted 25 universities from 17 states from Alaska to Mississippi to Miami. The United States Air Force Academy placed first.
“For Kate and Kaylee to reach open quarters was inspiring,” said coach Brent Northup. “The whole team packed into the squad room to cheer for their friends. Their success is no accident. In addition to weekly practice with coaches, they also get together on their own each week to research and discuss strategies. They are willing to sacrifice to reach their goals.”
“We went into the tournament with no expectations, as the upper-class had warned us that we were likely to get beat pretty badly by some of the best teams in the nation,” said Little. “I'm so proud of Kate and I for our performance so far this year and how we've proven wrong any doubts about a novice team's ability to compete on the national level with the big kids.”
“Working with Kaylee is a dream!” said Wilkins. “We push each other to be better every time we practice or compete. Our differences complement each other, and we are stronger together.”
At the second YODL event on November 1-2, drawing 96 teams from 25 universities and 17 states, sophomores Brad Tomasovic of Great Falls and Davis Thompson of East Helena, reached semifinals of open. First-year debater Aurora Salinas of Butte was named the fifth best speaker in novice.
“I knew Brad and Davis would win their quarterfinal round,” said Northup. “They were debating an astrobiological topic about contact with aliens, and some friends have wondered about the origin of these unusually bright young men.”
“While the in-person communication feels more human,” said Tomasovic, “Online tournaments are more accessible and still very competitive. The YODL culture, which is more focused on the internal logical structures of arguments, instead of a more comparative style, has definitely helped our skills against high-level teams.”
Northup says the team appreciates online events because debaters, who are all top students, miss fewer classes, but he says in-person competition remains the gold standard to prepare top students for professional careers, such as law, education and medicine.
“We enjoy attending European, African and Asian online events,” says Northup, “But the team sharpens skills and makes lifetime friends from when we drive to Calgary, Saskatoon, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. The debate world is hybrid now, with a mix of in-person and online events available.”
The Talking Saints next tournament will be the first regional championship of the year at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, on November 15-17. The team begins their quest for a 35th straight regional title at Linfield’s in-person gathering.
The YODL national championship will be held in person at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, on March 28-30.