EL SEGUNDO HERALD May 9, 2019 Page 5
School Spotlight
El Camino Sports
El Camino Debaters Were Talk of
National Collegiate Tournament
By Rob McCarthy
El Camino College rules after being crowned
national champions of college forensic debate in
Salt Lake City. The South Bay’s representatives
swept three titles, including best forensic
team at any U.S. college – Ivy League
schools included.
The March competition drew teams from
153 schools, including community colleges
and four-year universities that went head to
head in the parliamentary style of debate.
Two-member teams take turns arguing the
pros and cons of an issue before a judge.
Despite going up against four-year schools
from Arizona, Texas and Oregon, the El
Camino debaters beat all comers and never
lost a match.
El Camino traveled to Utah State University
El Segundo Eagles in CIF Playoffs
Story and Photos by Gregg McMullin
The El Segundo High School baseball,
softball, boys volleyball and swim teams
are enjoying their second season: the CIF
playoffs. The baseball team won a thriller, the
softball team advanced thanks to its hitting,
the boys volleyball team got through the first
round but got upended in the second round,
and a number of swimmers did well at the
CIF finals meet.
Baseball: Sutherland
Saves Eagles
The Eagles went into their first round CIF
Southern Section Division 2 playoff game
against the Santa Fe Chiefs as an underdog.
Thanks to some clutch hitting, including a
two-run pinch-hit double by Cooper Sutherland
in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles survived
and won 6-4.
With Quin Kirsten on the mound, the Eagles
went in confident that their ace would take
control of the Chiefs’ line-up. Santa Fe came
in confident themselves and gave Kirsten all
he could handle. He went five innings, giving
up four earned runs on a season-high 10 hits.
The Chiefs took a 2-0 lead in the second
inning when David Dominguez was hit
by a pitch, Nate Daniels singled and both
scored on a single by Jason Givens. In the
third inning, Nathaniel Davalos’ RBI single
made it 3-0. In the fourth inning, Andrew
Vasquez’s perfect squeeze bunt made it 4-0.
The Eagles put themselves in a hole. In
the first three innings, they left six runners
on base. In the fourth, they manufactured
their first run. Bailey Davis was aboard on
a fielder’s choice and later scored on a wild
pitch to make it 4-1.
In the sixth inning, the Eagles scored five runs
on three hits, a hit batter, two walks and a balk.
“Just how we drew up our comeback,” said long-
time assistant coach Craig Cousins with a
smile.
Julian Rodriquez walked, Davis doubled,
Ian Bonham walked and Ethan Burner had
See Eagles, page 13
Eagle shortstop Benny Casillas comes across the bag on the front end of a double play against Santa Fe.
Burkley Brandlin
Swatik & Keesey LLP
AT T O R N E Y S AT L AW
Lifetime El Segundo Residents
Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury
Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation
310-540-6000
*AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization
Douglass
MORTUARY
“Our Family Serving Yours Since 1954”
B U R I A L - C R E M AT I O N - W O R L DW I D E T R A N S F E R
P E T M E M O R I A L P RO D U C T S
500 EAST IMPERIAL AVENUE
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA 90245
Te l e p h o n e ( 3 1 0 ) 6 4 0 - 9 3 2 5 • F a x ( 3 1 0 ) 6 4 0 - 0 7 7 8 • F D 6 5 8
for the grueling three days of argument
about public policy issues, which the National
Parliamentary Debate Association sanctioned.
The debates are extemporaneous and handsfree:
participants don’t have speeches prepared
and don’t carry notes. This freestyle can
prepare college students to enter careers in
government, law or business, according to
parliamentary debate organizers.
It was only the second time in the tournament’s
history that a community college
earned the top spot. The tournament drew 153
teams from two- and four-year universities.
Pac-12 schools, including the universities
of Arizona and Oregon, took part in the
finals. El Camino defeated every team in the
debate competition to capture the coveted
national title.
It was a record-setting season for the South
Bay team. El Camino won seven tournaments
in a row, taking home the sweepstakes trophy
for every competition. “This may be the
best team we’ve ever had,” said Professor
Francesca Bishop, director of forensics. El
Camino planned to enter two more competitions
after Salt Lake City.
Bishop coaches the national championship
program along with debate professors Mark
Crossman and Joseph Evans, and Assistant
Coach Brittany Hubble. Damon Lawson is
a student coach for the competitors from the
El Camino College communication studies
program. The National Parliamentary Debate
Association says that up to 250 schools attend
at least one tournament each season.
The debate format is two-on-two, and the
association says the format of the competition
encourages quick thinking and public
speaking.
The college students at the Salt Lake City
debates sparred over public policy issues --
the same way that lawmakers in a Parliament
setting do. The political topics serve to make
the competitors more knowledgeable and
engaged citizens, the tournament sponsor says.
El Camino took home the two-year college
tournament sweepstake trophy from Salt
Lake City, along with the two-year college
season champions award. Winning the overall
Season Sweepstakes Title for two- and
four-year schools established El Camino as
a powerhouse going into next season.
Team members are heavily recruited by
four-year institutions and receive scholarships
to attend those universities after leaving
the Torrance campus, the school says. The
Forensics Program is open to students of all
majors. The competitions give South Bay
students training toward careers in media,
management, sales and education too.
A background in communications
studies at El Camino is a solid beginning to
a rewarding career, according to the department.
“Students who learn to communicate
ideas in a way that promotes understanding
with precision, logic and professionalism
will have an advantage in today’s fast-paced
competitive world.” Advertising agencies,
law firms, schools, political candidates and
officeholders, and social services look for
talented people with skills in public speaking
and research to work with clients and
run campaigns.
Parliamentary debate at colleges began in
the 1990s and high schools are embracing
the competitions in which one team represents
the government and the other is the
opposition, says the American Association
of Parliamentary Debate. It also involves
role-playing for the government team, which
is composed of a prime minister and a political
ally. They argue the pro-government
position, while their two opponents must
demonstrate that the government’s case is
incorrect. The judge, called The Speaker,
decides at the end of the round which team
met its burden more convincingly -- either
for or against the issue.
Debaters weren’t the only award winners
this semester at the Torrance campus.
Journalism students who produce a weekly
newspaper, The Union, won several awards
at an annual statewide competition of
the Journalism Association of Community
Colleges held in March. The Union
newspaper print and online editions both
received praise for general excellence. Staff
writer Omar Rashad was honored with
the top award in feature writing for his
story on Assembly Bill 705, which uses
multiple measures when placing students
into English and math courses. Staff writer
Jose Tobar won second place awards for
an editorial cartoon and an illustration,
and an honorable mention or a story about
homeless students. Staffer Zach Hatakeyama
won second place for a feature story about
NASA Community College Aerospace
Scholars.
Miyung Kim took home a third place in
the news photo category. Sarah Desmond
placed fourth for a magazine profile, as did
Alexa Mancilla for a magazine news feature
she wrote. •
The forensic debate team at El Camino won three collegiate
national championships this season. Photo: El Camino College