Lindale Speech and Debate competed at their first tournament Saturday at Plano High School. Lindale students took home awards in a number of categories as they kicked off the debate season with a bang.

“It’s a way for us to see what the summer did for us, how much we gained and how much we lost,” debate coach Rory McKenzie said. “It’s a great benchmark for us; we get to compete against some really good schools up in the Dallas area– it’s very exciting.”

Teams representing 36 schools met at Plano Senior High School to compete in the tournament. This tournament is classified as a swing tournament, which is two tournaments held at one high school over the same weekend, meaning students will compete in numerous rounds to wrap up their first competition of the year.

“The upcoming debate season is one I have been looking forward to all summer,” senior Autumn Ellgass said. “Not only is this year a clean slate for me, but it’s a clean slate for the whole team as we strive to reclaim the title of 5A UIL Academic State Champions.”

Seniors Haley Bass and Jeremy Guidotti and juniors Zach Jones and Josh Smith took home awards in their respective events. Those students also earned points to help towards their qualification process for the state tournament in March.

“This tournament made me very excited for this year,” senior Jeremy Guidotti said. “Competing against other talented people makes the whole debate experience worth it.”