The Mt. Hood Community College Forensics Team left yesterday for Philadelphia to show their mettle in the grueling national forensics competition.

“It’s rough,” said Amy Rodela, the forensics team’s assistant coach. “It’s hardcore – the whole week is just debating issues and topics and you’re exhausted.”

Rodela said she used to be a member of the MHCC forensics team, and was appointed assistant coach after she’d decided to leave the team so she could “focus on school.”
“Speech team has been like another family to me,” said Rodela. “The team is great.”

“It was hard at the beginning of this year – we got a lot of new people, and we’re missing a lot of old people – so, it was a rough start,” Rodela said. “[The team] realized they were hungry for [nationals] and wanted it and they were able to accomplish and achieve – and now we’re heading out to nationals.”

But the schedule of nationals is longer than most hourly, day-to-day jobs.
“You have to be out of your room at 7 in the morning and continue on until 8 that night – it’s tough,” said Rodela.

The MHCC national team’s face includes Dave Childers, Sean Partch, Shane Hinton and Vince Peterson – MHCC students that will be participating in the parliamentary debate category and various individual events.

“I have my bronze medal team – Childers and Partch – from last year back and they have the potential to go gold this year,” said Shannon Valdivia, the team’s head coach and forensics instructor.

Valdivia said she is optimistic the team will “better last year’s run.”
“I have a new team – Hinton [and] Peterson – who I think have the potential to break to the Bronze Round,” Valdivia said. “We could even bring home some individual events medals too this year.”

The national competition, where 2 and 4-year colleges will be competing, traveling from points spanning the continental United States, is “always a tough competition,” Valdivia said – quite a step up from the team’s regional experience in debating against community colleges from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

“To break at this tournament is quite an accomplishment,” said Valdivia.
And while other colleges from across the nation develop mind-screwing and psyching tactics, MHCC’s motto of “Knowledge for Success” applies to even the forensics team.
“I don't think we have tactics,” said Valdivia. “We have just a vast knowledge base and like to talk about things that aren't necessarily discussed often…that keeps us above the line.”

The forensics team will be staying at the “Wyndham at Franklin Plaza in Downtown Philly,” said Valdivia, and added the team might peruse Gettysburg, Independence Hall and possibly New York City.

MHCC’s Forensics team will return to Gresham April 17.