Tahoma High’s Speech and Debate team won the 4A Forensics State Championship this past weekend at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma.

About 300 competitors from 30 4A schools competed this past Saturday at the Washington Forensics State Championship at UPS, according to Matt Tucker, who is the team’s coach.

Events included Dramatic Interpretation, Dual Interpretation, Extemporaneous speaking, Expository speaking, Humorous Interpretation, Original Oratory, Interpretive Reading, and Impromptu speaking. Our team prepared well all year and finished the season by capturing the state championship.

“For those who are familiar with the level of competition, this is no small feat,” Tucker said in an e-mail. “Though individuals won medals, I want to be clear that this is a team victory. State rankings are based on points earned by overall medals. Our team’s success is built not only on the efforts of coaches, but on consistent practice and feedback from team members, parents, and judges. I am especially proud of this team and its particular ability to respond to its disappointments as well as to maintain integrity in its successes; it is a team that set the goal to work hard all year and to have a commitment to team.”

Tahoma had three individual state champions: Sean Peerenboom, Impromptu Speaking; Karissa Smith: Expository Speaking; State Champion, Interpretive Reading.

Kyla Potter took third place in Expository Speaking.

There were also a number of members of the team who made it to the finals in individual categories:

Jasmine Graham and Vance Fulkerson in Dual Interpretation, Mariah Anderson, Interpretive Reading, Josh Tavenner, Dramatic Interpretation, Dylan Gordon in Humorous Interpretation and Melissa Perincheril in Original Oratory.

The rest of the Bears Speech and Debate team are: Haley Williams, Kayleen Cardoza, Josh Petersen, John Thompson, Amy McCormick, Ann Layman, Emily Wittman, Jenna Fernandez, Shelby Bryant, Jared Fore, Jeanny Rhee, Sadie Nelson and Eric Cahoon.