MOORPARK : Debate Team Takes National Title

Coach Dick Strong thought that this would be a rebuilding year for the Moorpark College forensic team. Although his teams had garnered six national titles in past years, it wasn’t supposed to happen this year.

But it did, just barely.

The 14-member squad took home top honors last week at the hotly contested Phi Rho National Junior College Forensic Championships in Odessa, Tex.

Moorpark’s team scored 223 1/2 points to beat out its nemesis, Orange Coast College of Orange County, by 6 1/2 points.

“This was the closest national contest in the last dozen years,” said Strong, 53, who started the Moorpark program in 1971. “It was an emotional roller coaster.”

Orange Coast College’s team, which included nine students on last year’s team, was favored going into the tournament. In comparison, “we only had four that returned,” Strong said.

The lead changed six times during the eight-day tournament, in which about 600 students competed in such categories as persuasive speaking, debate and prose interpretation.

“The night before the finals, I phoned my wife. I told her we were going to take second place,” Strong said.

Although Moorpark entrants took the lead three times during the tournament, Strong felt that they had too much to make up going into the final day.

Finalists Rena Vanderheide, Pamela Bartholomew and Ron Minson all needed gold in their events to win the overall team championship.

“It was the miracle shot at the end of the game,” Strong said of the close victory. “Ron went out and won the gold and that was completely unexpected.”

“I have a big Cheshire grin,” said Bartholomew, 32. The mother of two who is six months pregnant won three gold medals and a bronze.

“My biggest fear was that I would get sick,” Bartholomew said. “It’s not just who is most talented, but it’s an endurance race as well. You compete eight to 12 hours a day and you have to do your personal best round after round.”

“It was intense,” said Minson, who earned gold in the Speaking to Entertain category with a humorous account of life as a bartender. “No one knew who the winner would be until they announced it.

“The team just refused to die,” he said.

After Friday’s announcement, the team celebrated well into Saturday morning.

“There were many, many tears,” said Lynnette Minson, Ron Minson’s wife and fellow team member. “We worked very hard all year long.”