by Aaron Smith ‘10
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    Well they’re at it again.  That’s right folks, the Randolph-Macon College Franklin Debate Society has punched in another commendable appearance, this time at the Collegiate Forensic Association (CFA) "Beach" Tournament, held annually in Ocean City, Maryland.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this tournament, it actually includes a lovely round of mini-golf.
    Don’t worry members of the R-MC golf team, our debaters aren’t in any position to challenge you for your spot on the team.  Despite a tournament low score of 35 by Senior Troy Carter, Randolph-Macon was defeated on the greens by an unfortunate tie-breaker.  Fortunately, they weren’t there to play golf.
    The Franklin Debate Society didn’t miss a beat from their last outing, proving that climate and country had nothing to do with their last success.  They once again demonstrated their superior debating ability, claiming four of the top five positions in parliamentary debate.  Cruising in to first was the terrible twosome of Jessica Kuehn and Catherine Noyes, with Jon Schmeelk and Jessee Perry taking advantage of their young youthful vigor to snag second.  Molly Hyer, who was said to have had an incredible outfit on and Brittany Bryan, who was equally laud able, secured a strong third.  Rounding out the top five was the ever present team “Sexbombastic” of Troy Carter and James Murray.
    It should be noted that there were also a number of individual top speaker awards given to our debaters, with Kuehn, Carter, Murray, Noyes, and Schmeelk taking first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively.
    But do not forget, they do more than debate!  Kuehn also received third in informative speaking and fourth in extemporaneous speaking.  Schools who are bidding their time for Kuehn and co. to graduate were disheartened when Schmeelk turned out a first place in extemporaneous.  Noyes added to the total with a sixth place in informative speaking, while Perry reeled in a very respectable fifth in communication analysis and sixth in prose interpretation.  Carter then added to his resume with a sixth in after-dinner speaking, while Murray continued to perform with a fourth in impromptu speaking.  Murray would also add a sixth in dramatic duo, which was made possible by his teammate Rachel Avirom.  Kuehn was talented enough to receive fourth in the pentathlon competition, meaning she scored well in at least five events.
    As a final honor to our great debaters, Jessica Kuehn was bestowed with the Top Debater Award for the 2007-08 Season, which only speaks to her uncanny ability to consistently conjure solid appearances in this year’s debate competitions.  We should congratulate Kuehn, along with runner-up Troy Carter, for their stellar performances this year.  Kuehn also received the runner-up awards for top extemporaneous speaker and impromptu speaker of the year.
    So there you have it, another spectacular showing from the Franklin Debate Society.  With our seniors finishing strong, and our younger debaters showing that they too contain the grit and determination required of a great debater, the legacy of the Franklin Debaters is one that we can look forward to honoring for years to come.


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