Bakersfield College will be host to more then 1,200 high school students during the California High School Speech Association’s first Bakersfield-based state tournament during the weekend of April 16-18.
The speech and debate competition is expected to bring high school students and their accompanying coaches, judges and parents from across California to the campus in the organization’s first use of a Kern County location for a state competition in its 50-year history.
“The BC Communication Department is sponsoring the state championship on the BC campus. As hosts, we will make sure that the 1,200 student competitors and 800 coaches, teachers, parents and friends who will be attending have an educational, safe and enjoyable experience,” said BC professor Michael Korcok.
An effort by school administration has been made in many ways to ready the campus for an event of this size.
“The BC administration has been working with CHSSA in numerous ways to make this a successful event.?From facilities use to food service to the bookstore to custodial and security, the administration and staff of BC have been great?to make?this event happen,” said Korcok.
The tournament will be using all of BC’s classrooms and auditoriums for the three-day event.
According to Andrew Scherrer, Bakersfield High School’s head debate coach and CHSSA’s judging committee chair, “BC has been awesome and accommodating to us.”
The reach of BC’s community involvement with the tournament goes beyond offering the use of classroom’s and facilities.
Culinary arts program instructor Pat Coyle said his program will be providing food services for the judges that are participating.
In addition, instructors will be enticing the students of BC to play a role in helping the tournament.
“A number of communication classes will offer their students extra credit to judge preliminary rounds of the tournament. Nearly 200 student/faculty judges will be needed every round,” said Korcok. “We are offering a workshop to our students to get them better prepared to judge public speaking, drama and debate events?of this caliber.”
Scherrer said that ensuring enough available judges is key to the smooth running of a tournament of this size.
“We just need judges,” said Sherrer
Tournament organizers will be raffling off gift baskets worth upward of $100 to judges as an enticement to stay throughout the events.
The effect of hosting the CHSSA event at BC is significant, according to Korcok. “This tournament is?a boon to our campus and?to the local business community.?Not only do we get to show off to 1,200?of the?hardest-working and successful?high students from across California, we have a chance to showcase BC to their teachers and parents.”
Mayor of Bakersfield Harvey Hall is even going to the lengths of declaring the event “Speech and Debate Weekend” for the City of Bakersfield.
The hosting of the state competition brings to light some of the plight BC’s own debate program has faced recently.
“The BC debate team’s budget and coaching positions were eliminated this past fall, casualties of the budget cuts that?eliminated classes across campus.? The debate team has since become a student club supported by the SGA,” said Korcok
Because of the financial interruptions, the club will not be participating in any competitions during the current school year but they plan to change that in 2010-2011.
“While we understand that the current economic situation requires everyone to tighten their belts, it is a shame that one of the most storied debate teams, the most successful community college debate team in the United States over the past 80 years, had its budget and coaching positions eliminated,” said Korcok. “Student government funding and faculty volunteer coaching will, hopefully, be able to fill in until the economy recovers.”