Not that kind of forensics’

Forensics Team dominates recent tournament, continues standout season

Contrary to common assumptions, the Liberty University Forensics Team has nothing to do with crime scene investigations.

“People come in and say, ‘Forensics — is this a science lab?’” Liberty Forensics Coach Denise Thomas said.

Rather, the club delivers competitive public speeches, which can range from informative to extemporaneous to dramatic interpretations.

As Liberty’s Forensics Team continues its season, competing against a variety of schools in tournaments across the country, they are paving the way for a record-breaking season.

“We’ve had a great season, a very good year,” Thomas said.

Results from five tournaments in both secular and Christian forensic associations show the team has beaten last year’s performance with 63 individual and nine team awards.

Ten of the awards (seven individual, three team) were recently won by six members at the National Christian College Forensics Invitational which took place March 18-20 in Arizona.

Thomas said the key to the team’s success is multi-faceted.

“It’s all of their dedication,” Thomas said.

“It takes hard work, (and) their passion for the topics they’re speaking about is what drives them to succeed.”

The coach said the community the team has built for themselves over the years is impressive.

Members of the club support and care for each other, and peer coaching forms the backbone of practice.

“I did forensics in high school, but it’s a different atmosphere here,” freshman Peter Lundrigan said.

“It’s just really like a family.”

The group further bonds as they face an unusual challenge in the secular tournaments, where envelope-pushing content tends to perform better than tamer speeches.

Together, the team must deal with communicating their messages effectively without resorting to the use of language or edgy material.

This higher ground may provide a disadvantage, but it ultimately promotes Liberty’s goal to build champions for Christ.

“The Liberty team is very intentional in the way we portray ourselves to other teams,” Thomas said.

“Part of our goal is to do well in the tournament, but we also want to represent the university, ourselves and Christ in a way that earns us a right to be heard.”

The members also prioritize fellowship with others from competing schools, dissolving barriers bred by the forensics culture’s highly competitive nature.

According to Thomas, stories of rivals turned friends often dominate the conversation
following a tournament.

“Our students have taken it on themselves as a challenge to get to know these people,” Thomas said.

“And that’s not something I’ve instructed them to do.”

This sportsmanlike behavior has yielded comradery with teams such as Lynchburg College’s Forensics and Debate group, with whom Liberty Forensics will meet up to host a casual round-robin competition later this spring.

While the team faces only one more national competition mid-April, there still is plenty to do before the semester ends.

On March 31, six members of the team will attend a Vietnam veterans’ memorial at noon to deliver a presentation that honors women who served during the Vietnam war.

The Center for Multicultural Enrichment invited sophomore Anh Tran to present her piece on the stereotypes of Asian students April 11.

Additionally, the forensics club will hold its annual showcase April 20, when the team selects a variety of presentations that best demonstrate the members’ talent, passion and creativity.

Thomas ensured these benefits can be enjoyed by all.

Regardless of experience, all students interested in joining the team are eligible to do so.

Unlike other schools, Liberty’s club does not hold auditions.

“Our team will continue to be open and inclusive so that anyone who wants to improve their speaking skills or be part of our community can come try it,” Thomas said.

“Anyone who wants to try their hand at forensics is welcome to come, and we’ll work with them.”

In spite of the additional workload, Lundrigan said joining Liberty’s Forensics Team provides just as much play as it does work.

“It’s not Communications 101,” Lundrigan said.

“The club gives you a lot of liberty to talk about what you’re passionate about, what you love and relate greatly to. When you’re talking about that, it’s hard not to have fun.”   

Vence is a news reporter.