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Brandt Siegel, a first-year student from Marysville, Ohio, led the way for the Lafayette Forensics Society in a two-day swing tournament hosted by Boston’s Suffolk University and Simmons College Feb. 12 and 13.
Siegel was named the tournament’s Top Novice in two “limited preparation” events, impromptu speaking and extemporaneous speaking. The designations novice and varsity refer to a participant’s experience level in a given event.
Siegel had already qualified to participate in impromptu speaking in the National Forensics Association (NFA) national championship tournament in April by way of his outstanding showing in a December tournament at Bridgewater College in Virginia.
“Brandt’s performance in Boston in impromptu speaking, where he finished sixth among 70 participants, including many highly experienced varsity competitors, further positions him as a strong entrant for the NFA nationals,” says Lafayette’s director of forensics, Bruce Allen Murphy, the Fred Morgan Kirby Professor of Civil Rights. “And this was the first time he had ever participated in extemporaneous speaking, so being named top novice in that event is remarkable.
“The team is also building steadily, in just our second semester of competition, toward a competitive showing at another national tournament, this one specifically for novice-level participants,” Murphy adds, referring to the NFA’s 18th annual Novice National Individual Events Tournament, scheduled for March 24-26 at DelMar College, Corpus Christi, Texas.
Other novices competing for Lafayette in Boston were first-year students Kenya Flash of Coopersburg, Pa.; Alison Hindenland of Randolph, N.J.; and Emily Murphy of Center Valley, Pa. All participated in dramatic events, which are interpretations of prose (fiction or non-fiction) or poetry pieces, performed by individuals or pairs (the latter called “dramatic duo”).
“All three of our participants in dramatic events showed marked improvement in the second day’s competition as compared with the first,” Murhpy says. “That’s a real sign of the tremendous potential these young people who are new to forensics have to attain individual success and contribute to a successful team effort as they gain more experience. We’re a young team, but in time we will be a powerful one.”
Siegel, Flash, Murphy, and Geoffrey Gresh, a sophomore from Lowell, Mass., will compete in the Pennsylvania State Championships Feb. 18 and 19 at Grove City College.