Brookfield East High School's Forensicators made school history when the team won the Greater Metro Conference Forensics Championship for the eighth consecutive year.
The win was a decisive one, with East bringing home 15 of the 18 individual conference champion titles. In total, the team scored 299 points. Brookfield Central High School took second out of eight teams, scoring 95 points.
The championship win at Wauwatosa East High School on Feb. 20 was followed up Saturday with another win at a 40-school invitational meet at Sheboygan South High School, the biggest of the season, where East took first with 337 points, besting second-place James Madison Memorial, which scored 333.
Coach Mary Wacker credited the success to skilled and dedicated younger team members and strong leadership by older students.
"We are performing at a higher level than last year. … We're winning by bigger margins and with higher totals," she said. "And we're winning with a younger team, because we've got an extremely strong ninth- and 10th-grade class."
Since the forensics season began Jan. 30, East has won four out of five meets. The team participates in daylong meets each Saturday until April 17, except April 3.
Later this spring, the team will compete to qualify for nationals. The state tournament is in mid-April.
"And then hopefully we'll be going to nationals, so that would happen in May and June," Wacker said. "I would say it's a good bet at this point."
Wacker said the team would raise money to cover the trip.
Students from East have attended the national meet each of the 20 years Wacker has been coaching, and she said this year is shaping up to be no different.
Forensics team members practice three times a week for two or more hours, researching and writing presentations and speeches. That makes it a very academic activity, she said.
"When they're doing forensics, they're doing more homework as an extracurricular."
But the 80 boys and girls on the team aren't all aspiring valedictorians. The Forensicators represent a range of interests, ages and academic abilities.
"It's one of the true cross-section activities in our building," Wacker said, "and that's part of our strength."
- Isral DeBruin
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