University of Wisconsin–Madison Forensics Team


The University of Wisconsin–Madison Forensics Team is a student-run, nationally competitive individual events team located at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Forensics competitors hone the communication skills of writing, speaking, researching and brainstorming. The team competes in events which span the areas of public speaking, limited preparation and interpretation.

History

The University of Wisconsin–Madison has had a forensics program at various times in the school’s history. In 1988 and 1989, the team finished second and fourth in the nation at the prestigious American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament. In 1989 and 1990, the team finished first and second in the country at the prestigious National Forensic Association National Tournament. These first-ever national placings were accompanied by five individual events national champions and an overall pentathlon champion. Despite these successes, budget cuts forced the team to be discontinued in 1991.

Rebirth of the team

Recognizing the importance of a forensics program, freshmen Christopher Klundt, Brian Schaefers, and Lindsay Barone restarted the program in 2001. Working with a small group of interested undergraduates, they scraped together support for travel, worked without a coach, and spent over $800 per person "out of pocket" to offset the costs of competition.
After gaining some financial support from the Associated Students of Madison and the Letters & Science Honors Program, the team was able to afford a coach and subsidized travel. This resulted in a third place state finish, a 51st place finish at the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament, and a 16th place finish at the National Forensic Association National Tournament.

Recent history

In 2007 the team had its best finish since reforming in 2001, placing third at the NFA National Tournament and 23rd at the AFA-NIET. Along with these two team finishes, the UW–Madison had their third national final round appearance in just two years, with the Duo team of Emily Barsness and Thom Rehwaldt, who placed 5th.

Coaching

The team's part-time coach is Ben Jedd. The team's volunteer coaches are Vishal Jain, team founder Christopher Klundt, and other UW-Madison alumni.

Events

Platform Speeches

Platform Speeches are designed to either persuade or inform an audience on a topic of interest. They are original speeches, prepared before the tournament, memorized, and are 10 minutes in length. Multiple sources should be cited throughout the speech. Audio-visual aids and/or handouts may or may not be used to supplement/reinforce the message.
Limited Preparation events are designed to evaluate a speaker’s ability to construct a speech in a limited amount of time. They are prepared on the day of the tournament, with prep time determined by event.
Interpretation Events are intended to present a piece of literature in an entertaining and moving manner. A piece should explore the entire range of emotions associated with any literature. Events are prepared before the tournament and memorized, but the speaker must hold script in the form of a “black book.” Maximum time is 10 minutes including original introduction.

Team Sweepstakes

AFA National Individual Events Tournament
NFA National Tournament
1991
January 2002
February - April 2002
Summer 2002
Fall 2002
Spring 2003
Summer 2003
Fall 2003
Spring 2004
Fall 2004
Spring 2005
Spring 2006
Spring 2007
Summer 2007
Spring 2008