Abernathy Forensics Society places first in Hill Country Swing tourney

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
September 30, 2008

The Elton Abernathy Forensics Society at Texas State University-San Marcos took top honors at the University of Texas Hill Country Swing Tournament Sept. 19-22.

Texas State hosted the first two days of the event with the University of Texas taking the first place award. The tournament then moved to Austin with UT hosting and Texas State placing first. Schools from Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas competed in the three-day event. Hastings College from Hastings, Neb., finished second and West Texas A&M finished third.

“The tournament win is an excellent start to the competitive year,” said Wayne Kraemer, director of the program. Kraemer said he was proud of the work the students did over the summer to prepare for this tournament, traditionally one of the more competitive tournaments of the season that runs from September to April. “Randy Carver and Jolinda Ramsey, our individual events coaches, did an exceptional job getting students prepared for early competition.”

Jonathan Stansbury, a pre-communication studies junior from Pasadena, took the first place individual speaker award with first place finishes in dramatic interpretation and poetry interpretation. In duo dramatic interpretation, Stansbury with partner Jaysin Spradley, a pre-psychology freshman from Boling, finished third while Stansbury with partner Ryan Reyes, a communication studies senior from Austin, finished fourth.

Also placing at the tournament were Laura Driver, an international studies sophomore from Portland, who placed fourth in extemporaneous speaking and fourth in after dinner speaking; Amber Jackson,  a pre-mass communication junior from Houston, who placed third in prose interpretation; Chelsea McClure, a pres-mass communication freshman from San Antonio, who placed third in after dinner speaking and third in communication analysis; and Jonathan Park, an electrical engineering junior from Beaumont, who placed sixth in impromptu speaking.  Reyes also placed second in after dinner speaking, fifth in program interpretation and fifth in informative speaking and Spradley placed second in dramatic interpretation and fifth in prose interpretation.

The team will split travel the weekend of Sept. 27-28, attending the Forum in the Forest Tournament at Lone Star College-Kingwood and also traveling to the San Francisco Season Opener at San Francisco State University in California.