Speech and debate team makes a strong case to start the season

The College of Lake County (CLC) speech and debate team put on a show, placing third in a fall competition at Moraine Valley Community College for their third straight top three finish to start the season. The team reached this milestone with only seven of its 14 members competing.

“It’s still early in the season, but it’s been incredible to watch them grow from one performance to the next,” said Coach and Communications Instructor Joel Chmara. “They are crafting art and becoming advocates for change while learning to become high-level researchers and speech writers. We are ahead of where we normally are and already seeing results of all our hard work.”

Communications major Alyssa Jean-Pierre, from Gurnee, led the way by winning first place in debate, second in varsity communication analysis and third in varsity program oral interpretation.

Jean-Pierre’s passion for communication began with her love of English and literature, and she always had an interest in joining a speech and debate team. After taking a speech class last spring, she joined CLC’s team in the summer.

“I’m naturally more reserved, but working on speech and debate has really helped me come out of my shell,” she said. “Even if you don’t want to compete, joining the team is a great way to improve your public speaking.”

Michael Sligting, from Fox Lake, also earned top honors, placing second in novice persuasion and fourth in novice prose. Sligting, who earned his associate degree in communications from CLC, now takes Spanish courses online with the college while finishing his bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He first joined the team during his final semester before graduating and has continued competing while pursuing further studies.

A lifelong performer in choir and theatre, Sligting said speech and debate presented a new type of challenge.

“It’s similar to theatre because you memorize and perform,” he said. “But speech and debate are more individual. You’re responsible for everything that happens on that stage.”

Sligting enjoys the competitive atmosphere and the opportunity to connect with others.

“I’m competitive by nature and love performing in front of people,” he said. “Watching other competitors helps me improve, and as a communications major, I really value the human connection that happens during these events.”

This competition included local four-year colleges. The team usually competes against other community colleges but does compete with four-year schools at a couple of events a year, including the state and national tournaments. The team’s results showed high hopes for the season.

“Having third- and fourth-year students means those teams are very seasoned and experienced,” Chmara said. “For us, the fall semester is about building the team out and onboarding new members, so our results so far this season have us feeling like we can contend at the state level.”

The speech and debate group is just one of many student teams, clubs and organizations on campus. Visit the student life page for more information about how you can get involved.