01/19/2021
Sunday closed a uniquely difficult and immeasurably different season for debaters across the state. We are pleased to announce that in spite of such difficulties, Neenah students have once again persevered in the face of adversity to secure some of the most successful results our team has ever seen. Neenah has not been immune to COVID-19 and its many implications. Though the pandemic has made coaching (and posting about!) our students more difficult, they have overcome such obstacles with inspiring vigor, and we would like to share with you the culminating results of our students’ work as they appeared at our state tournament.
🚀 Arin Pitzrick and Alex Farhenkrug, VCX, finished their season strong despite facing many difficulties throughout the year. We are impressed by their resilience and we wish Arin, who is graduating this year, the best of luck in all her endeavors.
🚀 Sarah Hoffmann, JVLD, has been independently motivated throughout the season and has consistently taken care to prepare for her rounds, adapt to feedback, and remain calm despite strenuous situations. Sarah’s mindset of growth will undoubtedly benefit her throughout the remaining three years of her debate career, and will surely follow her beyond graduation.
🚀 Isabel Hoffmann, VLD, sought to learn and develop as much as possible throughout our season, often opting into national tournaments despite their increased difficulty level. These experiences undoubtedly benefitted her going into our state tournament. Despite meeting many difficult opponents in preliminary rounds, Isabel advanced into quarterfinals, dropping only because of a coach-over to her teammate. Isabel willingly concede to the coach-over, a fact which demonstrates selflessness and maturity. Although she was, at that point, eliminated from the tournament, Isabel stayed to help her teammate prepare for future rounds, shunting aside her own disappointment. Isabel’s resolve as a team player has made her an invaluable member of our team.
🚀 Isabel, in addition to an impressive record, also tied as the tournament’s second speaker, tying with the tournament’s champion.
🚀 Megan O’Keefe, VLD, concluded her tremendously successful debate career most impressively, and her legacy will surely be remembered throughout the state for years to come. Megan has unanimously been considered an extremely competitive debater throughout the totality of her career, and these sentiments were only strengthened at the state tournament. Megan earned in an impressive record through preliminary rounds and advanced through quarterfinals into semifinals where she dropped on a 2-1 decision to the tournament champion. Megan’s pragmatic approach to debate allowed her to take this loss with grace and poise, a fact for which we are equally proud.
🚀 Megan was also named the tournament’s top speaker, thereby crowning herself the best speaker in the state.
🚀 We wish also to congratulate Megan on having received one of only three scholarship awards granted to WDCA seniors. Upon receiving this award, Megan’s peers and judges were fast to congratulate her on a deeply impressive career. We cannot wait to see what Megan does in the future.
Please congratulate all our students on what would have been an impressive winning streak absent the pandemic. Their ability to adapt to unprecedented circumstances speaks only to their resilience as individuals.
Stay tuned for team photos, which will be uploaded as soon as we receive our well-earned hardware in the mail.