Southwest Montana News

Two teams from Carroll College's Talking Saints recently participated in the Diefenbaker Cup at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, on February 15-16, 2025. The teams returned with two awards after competing against Canadian universities.

The first-year team, consisting of Leah Melvin from Kimberly, Idaho, and Aurora Salinas from Butte, ranked highest in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the championship round in the novice category. They were ultimately defeated by the University of Alberta. Melvin was recognized with a fourth-place speaker award.

Melvin expressed her enjoyment of the event: “It was overall a fun time! I liked the variety of topics, and we got some motion types we haven’t seen for a while in the US,” she said. She noted that adjusting to the different debate style was challenging but appreciated meeting many friendly participants from both USask and UCalgary.

Coach Brent Northup highlighted the strong relationship between Carroll debaters and their counterparts at the University of Saskatchewan: “The University of Saskatchewan debaters have become close friends with our Carroll debaters over the past five years,” he stated. He mentioned that this camaraderie led to adjustments in tournament scheduling to accommodate Carroll's participation. Northup also remarked on their decision to adopt British Parliamentary-style debate due to its prevalence in Canada and globally.

Carroll College has a notable history with the Diefenbaker Cup, being the first American college to win it. This achievement dates back to 2000 when Kris Goss (2002) and Carolyn Parrish (2003) had their names engraved on the Cup, marking the beginning of a lasting friendship between Western Canada and Carroll.

Northup acknowledged some challenges faced during debates in Canada: “It’s challenging to debate in Canada because some topics are Canada-specific,” he said. Despite these challenges, he emphasized how such experiences remind them that they are part of a larger global community.