This year the tournament was held close to home, at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Calhoun joined 118 entrants from middle schools around the country for a weekend of spirited competition. No final round was necessary again this year in Policy Debate, because all three Calhoun teams went undefeated, with victories against strong teams from Ockerman, Kentucky, and Ardmore, Oklahoma in the power-matched rounds. Calhoun’s policy co-champions were Megan Williamson and Seth Johnson, Lloyd Bearden and Thomas Kendrick, Kate Leggett and Emily Lance. Calhoun also swept the top speaker awards for the tournament, with Kendrick winning first place policy speaker, Williamson taking second, Johnson placing third, Lance fourth, Leggett fifth, and Bearden sixth.  
      Calhoun also pulled out their first national win in Parliamentary Debate. Walter DeGuire and Zain Panjwani lost a round early in the competition, but came back to win their semi-final and final rounds with 3-0 decisions. 
      The local team settled for second in Public Forum Debate. After preliminary rounds, sixth graders Michael McCanless and Robbie Smith were paired against teammates Celeste Holbrook and Erica Cleary. Since McCanless and Smith had slightly higher speaker points, Lane Bearden, who coaches the team, decided to let them represent Calhoun in the final round. The Calhoun duo dropped in the finals to a pair of third-year debaters from McCallie School. The Calhoun debaters took home speakers gavels, with McCanless taking third speaker, Smith fourth, Cleary fifth, and Holbrook sixth. 
      Calhoun also made it to the elimination rounds in Lincoln Douglas Debate, when Callen Knight advanced to the semi-final round before losing to a team from the midwest.  
      In individual events, several individual speakers did well in competition that Calhoun does not do during the regular season. Seth Johnson was fourth in Extemporaneous speaking, while Kate Leggett was fifth in Impromptu, and Lloyd Bearden finished seventh in Impromptu. 
      The team was saddened by the fact that their teammate, Aleah Skaggs, who had also worked hard to prepare for the tournament, was unable to compete because of the final illness of her father, Charles Skaggs.  
      Judge Bearden said "This school and community is rightfully proud of these fine students."  "The debaters worked vigorously after school, and this effort resulted in an outstanding performance by each and every one of them."    
      Eighth grader Megan Williamson agreed that, "Even though it meant getting up early during summer vacation, and going to bed late, it was worth it." 
      Williamson and teammate Walter DeGuire are moving up to Calhoun High School next year, where they hope to debate for CHS Coach Edward L. Williams.   
      Five of the seven students who took or tied for first are returning to the team for their final year. But winning will be even tougher: Next summer the National Junior Forensic League hopes to combine the east and west tournaments into one big national competition.  The returning students say they are looking forward to the competition. 
      The team thanked the parents that chaperoned and assisted at the tournament – Bob & Patti Smith, Michelle Cleary, Leisa Holbrook and Carol Bearden. They thanked the donors and friends who paid for the trip to the tournament and entry fees by their contributions to Friends of Calhoun Debate.
      They also thanked the three high school debaters who accompanied to coach and judge for the team,  Kaitlin DeFoor, Leah Smith and Joseph Bearden. These high school students also helped the team prepare in the weeks before the tournament, together with assistance from CHS Coach Williams, Ricky Coates and Hunter Hammond.  
      CMS debaters noted their appreciation for Principal Bob Orfield, who has been very supportive of the program.  They also thanked outgoing Superintendent Dr. Mike Davis, incoming Superintendent Dr. Michelle Taylor, and the Calhoun City Board of Education for their encouragement throughout the year.  
      Next year’s middle school debate team will be selected  in August, with competition beginning in September.

(Photo, L-R: Walter DeGuire, Lloyd Bearden, Robbie Smith, Emily Lance, Zain Panjwani, Megan Williamson, Seth Johnson, Kate Leggett, Michael McCanless, Erica Cleary, Callen Knight, Celeste Holbrook and Thomas Kendrick)