On Sept. 19. the speech and debate team competed in a preseason tournament. The team did very well despite disadvantages such as a young team.

There were 7 novice and 5 varsity members competing in the tournament and most placed in the top 5 of their specific events. Shaun Lamar (11), varsity member, was undefeated in the tournament and took first place in extemp debate.

“It was very fun,” Lamar said, “doing well against good people now means i’ll do well [against them] later.”

Lamar wasn’t the only one who did well in the tournament. Varsity, as a team, took 5th place in impromptu and Hiba Al-ramahi (11) got first in novice impromptu speaking.

Al-ramahi, although new to the OHS team, has performed in previous debate competitions in middle school. She said that she normally takes two weeks to prep for a competition or debate. This preparation definitely paid off for her.

“It was a nice feeling hearing my name called and getting clapped for,” Al-ramahi said.

Overall, the team is satisfied with their performance and is excited for the rest of the season. The fact that they are a fairly new team seems to have no effect on their confidence and ability to perform.

“This [tournament] sets the tone for the rest of the year and I think we’ll do great,” Lamar, said.