Bibeau placed sixth at State Tourney

Dripping Springs High School Junior Max Bibeau placed sixth in Extemporaneous Speaking at the UIL State Speech and Debate Tournament during the 2017-2018 school year. Max was one of 12 state qualifiers based on his regional performance; the top three speakers from each of fours regions advance to the state meet. The state tournament consists of a preliminary round and a final round. The top three students in each preliminary round advance to the finals. Max was ranked first by all three of his preliminary judges after delivering a speech on the topic was “Is the political voice of the NRA becoming less relevant to American voters?” He then placed sixth in the final round on the topic “Is the Republican Party likely to lose control of the U.S. Senate in the 2018 elections?” In Extemporaneous Speaking, students randomly draw five written questions out of an envelope, from which students select one to to speak about. They are given 30 minutes to prepare a speech using journal and newspaper articles that have been stored in the weeks leading up to the tournament. At the end of the preparation time, students deliver the speech without notes to a judge or panel of judges. Students are judged on analysis, content, organization, and delivery. The maximum length of a speech is seven minutes. Bibeau also earned a fourth-place medal at the UIL State Congressional Debate competition.