The McIntosh Speech and Debate team sent four public forum debate teams, one Lincoln-Douglas debate team and one original oratory competitor to the Georgia Forensics Coaches Association (GFCA) Varsity State Championships this past weekend, March 3-4. Debaters left school Friday for the competition hosted at Marist School in Atlanta. Competitors participated in three rounds that evening and three rounds the next morning before elimination rounds began.

For the first time in the history of the current Speech and Debate Team, McIntosh competitors advanced to the elimination rounds and earned speaker awards. Seniors Christian Carr and Porter Enstrom advanced to the octo-finals with a record of 4:2 before winning the octo-finals round and competing against Starr’s Mill, who defeated them with a 2:1 decision. At the end of the tournament, Christian and Porter were recognized for placing as quarter-finalists. GFCA recognized the top 15 speakers of the 104 public forum competitors who make up the best debaters in Georgia, having qualified by placing  semi-finalist or above at a local tournament. Two McIntosh students were recognized for speaking accomplishments; Junior Samuel Ellis earned twelfth place speaker and senior Christian Carr was named first place speaker for public forum for the state. Debate president senior Jackson Fuentes said,”I’m proud of all the team has accomplished with making McIntosh history at this tournament. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with these fantastic debaters.”