Joey Tholl

Chinook Writer

The 2025-26 Casper College Forensics Team is practicing, competing, and gearing up for nationals. The team practices on campus for an average of five to six hours a week.  The forensics team, also known as the speech and debate team, formed on Casper College’s Campus in 1978. Early founders and leaders, Gale Alexander and Gretchen Wheeler, “Took the program to new heights,” according to the current Co-Director of the Forensics Team and CC Communications Instructor, Doug Hall. 

The college hired Hall as director of the Forensics team in 2013, and now Co-Director Ethan Fife joined in 2021. They both became co-directors of the team in 2024. The team placed in the top five in the large school divisions at the Forensic Nationals, Phi Ro Pi, for the past 10+ years. The team takes an average of 12-17 students every year, and Hall established that joining is a year-long commitment. This year’s team consists of eight students, and the captain of the team, Ivey Goff, said the team dynamic is pretty intimate, since the team is so small. She described the team this year as “tight-knit”. 

Members of the forensics team compete in a variety of events, most of which involve oral communication, as well as theatrical acting in other events. There are three realms underneath the forensics umbrella. Forensics encompasses debate, speeches, and acting events, with each category featuring a range of competitions and events. 

The team meets two times a week, from 3-5 p.m. The meetings are considered “class time,” and the students complete training or work together on events. Goff said they also choose events, so they must meet up with a coach for a minimum of thirty minutes per event. Along with this, students must practice and learn their pieces on their own time. Hall said that, in total, students usually dedicate about 12-15 hours of their time weekly.  

As for the competitions, Hall said the day of a competitor is very exhausting. The team often arrives the day before the competition, followed by a full day of supporting and competing. Goff said that the rounds usually start around 8-9 a.m. and the team competes until a minimum of 3 pm. While students aren’t busy actively competing, they hang out around the venue or support their fellow teammates. Goff said the team this year is very supportive and watches each other, so that every teammate sees someone supporting them in the audience.  Awards and dinner often follow competition. Hall reiterated that the preparation and schedule take a toll on students, as they are competing and then jumping right back into regular schoolwork and other responsibilities.  

Goff is not only the captain of the team, but she also manages being a full-time student, along with working. She said she manages by using the time in her day effectively around obligations. She tries to get things done during the day and uses time between classes and work to get things done.  

The forensic team not only prepares students for public speaking and nurtures collaborative skills, but it also prepares students for their future careers. Both Hall and Goff mentioned “Dress for Success,” speaking with students about proper attire in a professional setting. Goff also noted that she learned from the older students on the team about the norms and mirrored their behavior. She added that her coaches are good resources to share experiences and connections. Nationals, also called Phi Ro Pi, will take place in Washington, D.C. this April.  According to Goff, nationals are like every other tournament, but with higher stakes. She also noted that it is held in hotels and meeting rooms, but for some events she has competed in an actual hotel room. She said the experience is very “Cutthroat, you make it or not”, but that she is excited to share the experience with her current teammates. As a freshman last year, Goff won Silver in the “Speech to Entertain” event. 

Goff said that if it weren’t for the forensics team, she isn’t sure if she would be at CC. She participated in some speech and debate in high school, and ended up in a conversation with Hall and Fife. They welcomed her to CC and the forensics team. Goff isn’t sure what her future holds, but she said she is better off because of her experience with the forensics team.