McMINNVILLE – Linfield College will host the 79th annual R.D. Mahaffey Memorial Forensics Tournament Nov. 20-22.
The tournament is one of the oldest intercollegiate tournaments in the region and honors Roy “Hap” Mahaffey for his pioneering efforts with forensics in the Northwest and throughout the nation.
The Linfield Forensics Team will face competition from 30-35 colleges and universities from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Utah and Florida. Approximately 400 students will participate in the tournament.
The tournament will offer 12 individual events, as well as novice, junior and open divisions for parliamentary and British parliamentary debate. The International Public Debate Association (IPDA) will be another type of debate offered. Debate topics will cover recent news events and will change for each round of competition.
Competitors will participate in an experimental event called “Mad Libs Interpretation.”
Brenda DeVore Marshall, a past forensics coach and current professor of theatre and communication arts, was recently recognized by Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC) with an award for her contributions to Northwest forensics. The Brenda DeVore Marshall Sweepstakes Award represents her continuous commitment to Linfield forensics through participation at the Mahaffey tournament, known as the “Wimbledon” of the Northwest.
The Forensics program is requesting judges for the tournament. The tournament is sponsored by the Linfield Forensics Program and the Department of Theatre and Communication Arts. For more information contact Jackson Miller, director of forensics and associate professor of communication arts, at 503-883-2625 or jmiller@linfield.edu.
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