South County Team Wins Debate Title

Members of the South Orange County Community College District speech and debate team talked their way into becoming state champions in competitions held in Santa Rosa among 25 community colleges.

Moorpark College in Ventura County took second place and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa was third.

The 16-member South Orange County team included students from Irvine Valley and Saddleback colleges. They took part in historic political debates, impromptu speaking and drama and prose interpretations, among other tournament categories.

The college district also won the state championship in 1995 and 1997.

Gold medal winners were: Eric Camiling; Michelle Doty; Michelle Lehman; Rick Travis; Michael Kindybal; Lisa Grossman; Noelle Bird; David Gibson; Henry-Scott Simpkins.

Silver medals went to Camiling, Doty, Michelle Dawson, Grossman, Jason Hughes, David Watson and David Petrie.

Bronze medals went to Camiling, Doty, Kindybal; Dawson, Simpkins, Hughes, Petri and Amy O’Leary.