Falcon forensics has international champion

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Michelle Baker has earned Bowling Green State University's first-ever international title in forensics, speech and debate, winning the Persuasive Speaking event at the just-completed International Forensics Association (IFA) championships in London.

A BGSU senior from Loudonville, Baker beat nationally ranked competitors from George Mason, Western Kentucky and Tennessee State universities with her speech advocating the concept of purchasing local produce.

Baker, a communication and environmental policy major, also placed fourth in Communication Analysis and sixth in Informative Speaking, while teammate Kenny Rogers Jr., a senior sociology major from Peoria, Ill., was fifth in both Informative Speaking and Prose Interpretation. Their efforts enabled BGSU, despite sending only three participants on its first trip to the IFA championships, to finish fifth as a team among 21 competing colleges and universities.

Kayla Combs, a senior from Perrysville, was the third competitor for Bowling Green, the only Ohio university represented at the tournament March 12-19. The previous week, the Falcon forensics and debate team won Pi Kappa Delta's National Comprehensive Tournament in St. Louis, where Rogers was the top speaker overall.

“I am very excited for this team,” said Paul Wesley Alday, BGSU's director of forensics, speech and debate. “Most of our members are seniors, and this season represents four years of dedication and hard work,” he added, calling the international championships “an exceptional experience, not only in terms of the team's success but in the opportunity to explore another culture.”

The BGSU team, which also placed second in this year's Ohio State Championships, will conclude its season next month at the National Forensics Association national tournament in Nashville, Tenn.

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(Posted March 28, 2008 )