By Kaylee Chan | Junior Editor

   The Screamin’ Eagles Speech team participated in numerous Speech and Debate tournaments throughout November, forming a packed fall season for members at all levels.

   All events were held online in accordance with coronavirus regulations, each containing three to four rounds.

   One major tournament was the Fall Novice Tournament on Nov. 7, which has been hosted by Gabrielino for the past 22 years. It was open to novice and junior varsity speech students.

   Freshman Violet Magallanes, who competed in the tournament for one of the first times as part of the Gabrielino team, considered it a reprieve from the daily life of quarantine.

   “Every day seems pretty repetitive, and tournaments give me something to look forward to,” said Magallanes.

   Junior Priscilla Chin volunteered to be a judge for the tournament, along with many other debate members.

   “Fall Novice was my first time judging because only varsity members get to judge at novice tournaments, and I became a varsity member this year,” she said. “All of the competitors were probably very nervous for the tournament that morning, but I woke up just half an hour beforehand and was excited to watch some speeches.”

   During the month, students also had the opportunity to attend out-of-state invitationals such as the Fischers Tournament on Nov. 7 and the Glenbrooks National Tournament held Nov. 20-22. These events were centered in Indiana and Illinois respectively.

   “The online format gives us a huge opportunity to see speeches from all over America,” said sophomore Jayme Banh, who attended both the Fischers and Glenbrooks tournaments. “It’s super interesting to see how other states do speech and what topics they pick!”

   November included a number of debate tournaments as well, such as the Fall Novice Debate on Nov. 13 and the Fall Varsity Debate on Nov. 14.

   Junior Daniel Candia, who participated in the Fall Varsity Debate, considered the tournament a great opportunity to hone his skills.

   “[Debate] has served as a space where one can have intellectually challenging discussions and have fun at the same time,” said Candia. “A lot of my knowledge and ability with researching and argumentation stems from the things I have learned in debate.”

   Other tournaments Gabrielino students have participated in during November are the Día de los Muertos Tournament, held Nov. 3-5, and the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Tournament on Nov. 14.

   While the lack of in-person tournaments has had a limiting effect on the tournament experience, Derek Yuill, the Speech and Debate advisor, is optimistic going forward.

   “Finding ways to make things happen and overcoming obstacles is nothing new to this program,” said Yuill. “The challenges may be uniquely different and daunting but with the right motivation and attitude we can make some pretty awesome things happen.”