After a big win at Clackamas last month where several students placed, the speech and debate team is avidly preparing for the end of its season. The rest of the season consists of three competitions. 

McMinnville is one of the biggest competitions of the year and also the last competition before districts where students will get to compete for the opportunity to go to state. Many use the competition as a check in to see how they compare to the people that are going to be at the district competition since the competitors are mostly the same between the two. 

The competitors will speak off to see who will get the honor of getting to advance. Due to the limited number of spots available, this practice is necessary. A speak off is when competitors from a certain category of speech give their speech to a group. Then a judge will decide who the cream of the crop is.

Then they will compete at districts on March 13 and 14 against the best of the best, in the region at least. This will decide if anyone is eligible to go to state. Those who are eligible will go to Western college in northern Oregon this spring and compete against the best speakers in the state.