Episode 26: Andy Stone
Andy Stone is a two-time high school state champion and went on to compete in college forensics at Arizona State University where he was a six-time national finalist. As a coach, he helped lead Desert Vista High School to 8 consecutive state championships and worked at some of the nation’s most prestigious speech summer camps in Arizona, Illinois, and Florida. For several years, Andy was a producer and co-host of the Encyclopedia Show Arizona, a live semi-educational variety show in Tempe, AZ. Andy graduated from the University of Dubuque with a Masters in Business Administration in 2019 and spent 10 years working at Apple Inc before accepting a position earlier this year as a strategic customer success manager at Sendoso, a rapidly growing tech startup in Scottsdale, AZ. He is married to his former duo partner and AFA national champion Julia Kolsrud.
•
In this episode, Robert and Andy discuss falling in love with speech from the very beginning, falling in love with winning, and falling in love with a teammate. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Andy loves imaginary pumpkins. See how big this one is?
Episode 25: Heather Wolpert-Gawron
Heather Wolpert-Gawron is an award-winning middle school teacher and district PBL/21st Century Instructional coach. She was a 2013 USDOE Profiled Connected Educator as well as the San Gabriel Valley Computer Using Educator TOY for 2009. She is the author of Just Ask Us: Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement (Corwin/AMLE) which shares the results of of her nationwide survey of 6th-12th graders and their responses to the question, "What engages you as a learner?" Other books include DIY for Project Based Learning for ELA and History (Routledge), DIY for Project Based Learning for Math and Science (Routledge), Writing Behind Every Door: Teaching Common Core Writing in the Content Areas (Routledge), and ‘Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers (Routledge). She has been a staff blogger for Edutopia since 2008 and shares all things middle school at tweenteacher.com. She has been a proud member of the California Writing Project since 2008 and was selected as National Faculty for Buck Institute in 2017.
•
In this episode, Robert and heather discuss The People vs. Laron, the benefits of project based learning, and how to avoid tabbing at all costs. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Did someone say D&D?
Episode 24: Blake Longfellow
Blake Longfellow's journey through forensics has taken him across the country with stops at major collegiate programs along the way. A bay area native, Blake began transitioning from theatre to forensics in high school when a teacher forced him to try duo interpretation. Three years later Blake moved to southern California to attend and compete for Orange Coast College, picking up several community college national titles along the way. In 2009 Blake was one of the top community college competitors in the country, which earned him a small scholarship to attend Bradley University. During his time in Peoria, Illinois Blake won the 2011 NFA Informative speaking championship and two team sweepstakes titles. Then after completing his masters degree at Western Kentucky University in 2014 he left the activity all together. But forensics slowly pulled him back in from the wilderness and in 2016 he became the ADoF in his hometown's high school and community college teams concurrently. He's since help establish Diablo Valley College as one of the nation's premier community college teams, and launched the forensics judging services company Hired Judge. His company has connected hundreds of judges nationwide with tournaments in their local area, and has big plans for the future of forensics.
•
In this episode, Robert and Blake discuss the power of community college competitors, the finer points of Reader’s Theater, and the goal of winning forensics as a team. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Blake loves flowers so much, he not only strictly wears floral ties, exclusively, but he also brings a potted floral arrangement as a date to most social functions.
Episode 23: Mike Kyle
An accomplished public speaker for many years, Mike began his competitive speaking career at the age of 12 when he was invited to attend a high school speaking competition on behalf of South Salem High School (even though he was still in junior high!). Mike won first place in both the Novice division of Humorous Interpretation and junior division of Lincoln Douglas Debate. From then on and throughout high school, Mike went on to win 78 times, taking home 117 trophies along the way. Mike was awarded a debate scholarship to Arizona State University and continued winning speech and debate tournaments in college, in both NDT and CEDA formats. Graduating Magna Cum Laude from ASU with a B.S. in Engineering, Mike also became a notable and sought-after public speaker in the Printing and Marketing industry, speaking at industry events such as VUE Point and PODi. Mike began realizing his dream of mentoring students in speech and debate in 2011, and began Nova 42 Academy in 2012. Nova 42 now helps guide close to 300 students, including several from all around the world. In 2019 Nova 42 Academy, adding to its offerings, became a private high school and was able to join the NSDA.
•
In this episode, Robert and Mike discuss the guilty pleasures of Monty Python, how to make money through printing, and the impact of teaching students by focusing less on winning. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
The 7th member of Monty Python.
Episode 22: Wei Wang
Wei Wang is currently a co-founder of QD Learning and Gateway Academy. He is passionate about Speech,Debate, Leadership, College Admission and anything in between to get students in K-12 ready for college and career. His previous career was in IT consulting/sales specializing in cloud computing & enterprise software. He is originally from Shanghai, China and graduated from UCLA with a MBA degree. He is also a Captain from US Air Force Reserve based in March Air Reserve Base.
•
In this episode, Robert and Wei discuss Toastmasters, the differences between Chinese and American education, and how the military plays into the speech world. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
In this week’s webisode, we weigh in with Wei Wang.
Episode 21: Lance “The History Guy” Geiger
Lance had a twenty one year forensics career that started with him winning a jr high speech competition sponsored by the Modern Woodmen of America in 1977. Lance competed for two years at the University of Wyoming and then at the University of Colorado, where he was president of the student run team. He coached at the University of Wyoming as a graduate student and then at Northern Arizona University where his teams won numerous national championships. He was tournament host for the DSR-TKA national tournament in 1997 and then for the AFA NIET in 1998, where he made the mistake that rocked the forensics community. Today he is the host of the YouTube channel The History Guy: History Deserves to be Remembered where he applies the skills learned in forensics on three episodes per week.
•
In this episode, Robert and Lance discuss the dangers of driving after competitions, the joys of a student-run team, and get into one of the biggest controversies in forensics history. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
A Brief History of Public Speaking…
Episode 20: Ryan Yoo
Ryan is a 16 year old sophomore at California State University, Los Angeles under the Early Entrance Program. As a middle schooler, he primarily competed in Congress and found some success there. Ryan chooses to stay active within the forensics community by volunteering at speech and debate tournaments.
•
In this episode, Robert and Ryan discuss the joys of being a Parliamentarian in Congressional Debate, dealing with the work demands of college when you’re only 15 year old, and the troubles of transportation in Los Angeles. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
The gavel of doom.
Episode 19: Bill Eddy
Bill Eddy is teaches speech and debate courses at Magnet Learning Academy, in Irvine, California. A graduate student at Gonzaga University, "Coach Bill" as he is known to his students served as a consultant, professor, research fellow and speech & debate coach for several prestigious universities and academies. While working in the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea, his students won NSDA-Korea's national tournament three years in a row. He has earned numerous distinctions as both a competitor and as a coach.
•
In this episode, Robert and Eddy discuss the joys of coaching in another country, dealing with unethical approaches to forensics, and the fact that debate, once in your blood, never truly leaves. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Bill Eddy on his tropical vacation to Hawaii.
Episode 18: Angela Chon
Angela is a recent grad from Cornell University, where she studied Government and European Studies. She started competing in speech and debate when she was in middle school and continued until her freshman year of high school. Her debate career was primarily focused on Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas events.
•
In this episode, Robert and Angela discuss the benefits of unusual research styles, dealing with crushing competitive losses, and the way in which debate shapes political thinking. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Always smiling before going in for the kill.
Episode 17: Israel Beltran
For years, Israel Beltran was just another Chicano from East LA, who loved to daydream, until he discovered the world of forensics. He has been blessed to receive awards from national forensic tournaments such as Phi Rho Pi and NFA. Israel strives to teach his students how to better understand who they are, share their stories, and master the power of rhetoric.
•
In this episode, Robert and Israel discuss the differences of small teams and big teams, moving out of Phi Rho Pi and into NFA, and the struggles of getting English lessons from New York rappers. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
I feel you, homie.
Episode 16: Paul Davis
Paul Davis is a multiple Arizona high school state champion and Humorous Interpretation champion at the prestigious Harvard tournament. During college he was a ten-time national finalist and four-time national champion, including the 2006 NFA Pentathlon Top Speaker. He coached multiple high school and college students to various state and national final rounds and championships. While coaching at LA Valley Community College, he helped lead the team to their first two consecutive national championships. He is currently working on writing and directing films in the Los Angeles area.
•
In this episode, Robert and Paul discuss performing in front of your parents, making waves in the speech community, and the problem with speaker points. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Episode 15: Anika Lee
Anika is a sophomore at Williams College and has been involved in speech and debate for over eight years. She is a former middle school state champion and an NSDA octa-finalist for Public Forum. As a high schooler, she dabbled in Original Oratory and Public Forum, but chose to stay involved in the forensics community by teaching elementary and middle school students.
•
In this episode, Robert and Anika discuss the heartbreak of defeat, the problems with not getting enough sleep at nationals, and the fear that comes with doing an interp when you were born to debate. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Post-round, pre-sneeze.
Episode 14: Danny Cantrell
Danny Cantrell is a professor and forensics coach at Mt. San Antonio College. He started competing in high school before debating at UC San Diego as a part of a student-run debate team. He helped create ForensicsTournament.net and other apps for the forensics community. He's married to his one-time debate partner Jennifer and has four children.
•
In this episode, Robert and Danny discuss teaching community college students, the problems that come with a student-run team, and the power of wearing blue shirts. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Taken moments after Danny just won the lottery.
Episode 13: Amanda Samoyloff
Amanda Samoyloff, a Cal State University Long Beach alumni, won Prose at HFO and placed 4th in Poetry at AFA during her first year of competition. She and the rest of CSULB would soon place 5th in the nation at AFA-NIET. In 2009, Samoyloff won 1st place in Prose at NFA. After graduation, she made her way into Hollywood, taking the skills and work ethics she learned from her time in speech and debate and became an actress and filmmaker. She's produced, written, and performed in multiple films over the last decade. Currently, she's the CEO + founder of the PR firm, Samoyloff PR, and is set to publish her first poetry book in Spring 2020.
•
In this episode, Robert and Amanda discuss how to continue during interruptions, the annoyance of high heels, and the endurance needed to be successful at nationals. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Amanda politely applauds all the losers who couldn’t beat her.
Episode 12: Gordon Ip
Gordon Ip is an Asian-American poet, teacher, performer, and actor that focuses on speaking about Asian-American issues in an explicit, unashamed fashion. His achievements include an AFA 4th place in Duo Interpretation, and several finals in and semi-finals multiple events at HFO and AFA. He is a proud East Los Angeles College Husky, and alumnus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
•
In this episode, Robert and Gordon discuss what it means to be a Hong Konger, playing a public piano a little too long, and the challenges of coaching elementary students. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Original Hong Konger, right here.
Episode 11: Matt Grisat
Matt Grisat has the rare combination of proven successes both as a competitor and coach in debate and individual events. As a competitor he was part of a team that won both AFA and NFA sweepstakes. As a coach/ DOF he has mentored students to become national champions in performance pieces, LD, and Parliamentary Debate among others.
•
In this episode, Robert and Matt discuss sacrifices for the team, moving from Toastmasters to forensics, and how much sweat a tournament can cause, literally. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Big Bad Matt, pre-sweat.
Episode 10: Ryan Ohanessian
Ryan Ohanessian is a former debater for Glendale Community College and Cal State Northridge. While at GCC, Ryan went to a National Tournament where he competed in Public Forum Debate. Afterwards, he did two semesters of policy debate at CSUN where he came in 1st place (2nd place speaker) at the Hornet Invitational policy debate tournament and 2nd place (3rd place speaker) at the Robert Barbara Intramural public forum debate tournament in 2018. Nowadays, Ryan likes to give back to the community by judging both speech and debate.
•
In this episode, Robert and Ryan discuss the differences between debate styles, the pressure of going to nationals for the first time, and what it’s like to come back to the community after taking off for a year or so. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Ryan “Curevhead” Ohanessian.
Episode 9: Jasmine McLeod
Jasmine McLeod, a.k.a The Rainbow of Death, is known for her hair and pens of color. Many think that her wild ballots are color-coded but they are actually a reflection of her eccentric personality: random, honest, and vibrant. Jasmine McLeod competed for CSU Long Beach where she won two national titles in DI and Prose in addition to numerous other national awards. She now coaches for the Mt. San Antonio College forensics team. Jasmine has coached numerous national and state champions in multiple events. At the end of the day, her students continue to believe that she once walked the fiery path to the netherworlds and is the grand master supreme of hell.
•
In this episode, Robert and Jasmine discuss the how race, hair, and when (not) to wear a white suit. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Jasmine with her fancy paperweights.
Episode 8: Ira Heffler
Ira Heffler had been a high school and college forensics coach for 35 years. He coached speech and debate at John Burroughs High School in Burbank for 22 years, from 1971 until 1993. Many of his students achieved impressive wins at the state level. After a ten-year break from teaching, Ira returned to the classroom as a Professor of Speech Communication at Glendale Community College for 14 years, from 2002 until 2016. During most of those years, he was the co-head forensics coach, and his team took first place honors in the President’s Division at National Forensic Association.
•
In this episode, Robert and Ira discuss the how competitions were different in the 1970s, the benefits of coaching at the college level, and how to ‘unleash’ your students. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Ira (lower right) was the adult in charge of these maniacs. Only three of them survived.
Episode 7: Daniel Kyle
Daniel Kyle is a senior who competes with Nova 42 High School and Nova 42 Academy. He primarily competes in debate events such as Public Forum and Congress but also does limited prep events like Impromptu. He has qualified to NSDA nationals three times in high school in Lincoln Douglas Debate. Since his introduction to speech and debate in 4th grade, Dan has won over 270 public speaking awards, is rated as one of the top 20 speakers in the NSDA, and has received the prestigious Academic All-American from the NSDA.
•
In this episode, Robert and Dan discuss the problems with spreading in debate, canning an Impromptu, and conquering the fear of gong to your first competition. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Dan proves that, as a high schooler, he has never had a speech-free Saturday.