The Mt. SAC forensics team made up of a group of proficient speech and debate students continues to impress and build on its success as it participates in competitions from across the nation.

The team competes in approximately 15-20 tournaments each season and this year, it captured first place finish at Cerritos College and a second place finish at San Francisco State.

Danny Cantrell, a communications professor and one of the five forensics team coaches at SAC highlighted the team’s recent performance at San Francisco State.

“We had a very successful state [tournament],” Cantrell said. “We won the most points we ever did together and we were behind Diablo Valley College by just 1.25 points.”

Forensics is more than just competing. It’s a family that continues to push each other to blossom and grow to their full potential.

As the team prepared before the national tournaments in Reno, Nevada on March 29, Julianna Albert, a 21-year-old communication studies major, shared how being part of the team has helped her come out of her shell.

“It’s definitely helped me be a better adult, person and student,” Albert said. “The biggest things I take away from it are the life skills it’s given me not only in speaking but also punctuality.”

Helping with confidence, teamwork, encouragement toward teammates and an audience are ways that impacted Albert’s experience.

“I think this activity can fit for anyone,” Albert said. “That is not an advertisement. I genuinely do think it’s applicable to anything because it teaches you teamwork and public speaking in general helps people learn how to communicate themselves in their ideas.”

Although the experience becomes worthwhile, many of the participants fear public speaking coming into the club. After many reps on stage, the students grow out of the anxiety.

“While it can be very intimidating at first, it’s very rewarding by the end,” Cantrell said.

Besides building networks and gaining skills, team members are able to travel across the state and country, sometimes even internationally. Last year, the debate team traveled to Tokyo, Japan and this year to San Francisco. Cantrell added the team will travel to Washington DC next year for national tournaments.

The foundation of Mt. SAC’s speech and debate team goes back decades.

“We think it dates back to the 1960s,” Cantrell said. “The earliest known trophy we have is from 1976 so we know the team was successful all the way back then,” Cantrell added.

The team also has their own mascot: A red heart. Cantrell said it was an award the team won about 10 or 12 years ago over Valentine’s Day weekend and it has stuck with the team ever since.

“It’s just been in our squad room forever and it’s just sort of become part of the team and I think it really tries to represent that we support each other,” he added. “It’s a very competitive activity but at the same time [have] love for your teammates and for your competition. Yes we’re competing against these people but we want to support them, we want to be a good audience member.”

Joining the forensics team offers a plethora of benefits and opportunities to grow as a student and person. It serves as an outlet to hone one’s oratory skill, fostering confidence and mastering the art of persuasion.

Moreover, it provided a domain for students to conquer, confront and overcome anxiety of public speaking. Beyond the confines of the stage, the forensics team fosters a unique camaraderie inside and outside of the campus, making the transformative journey worth embarking on.