Figure of Speech

Greg Dolph is a high school national champion in Dramatic Interp. At the collegiate level, he has amassed an incredible twenty-four national college final rounds, nine national championships, five 2nd place finishes, and three individual sweepstakes championships. After leaving forensics, he has acted and performed stunts film & TV Shows: Second Hand Lions, Resident Evil Extinction, and The Conan O'Brien Show. For the past 27 years, he has played the main villain, Deacon, in the Water World Stunt Show at Universal Studios, Hollywood. In November he will reach 14,000 performances.

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In this episode, Robert and Greg discuss knowing your judges, the wall of defeat, and having fun in the moment that will never be there again. Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The 2017 National Speech & Debate Association Middle School Coach of the Year, Ryan had been part of speech and debate for nearly 30 years as a middle school, high school and college competitor and coach, an instructor at camps such as Interprod, FFI, GMIF, and UTNIF, a coach with various nationally recognized programs across the country (Logan High School, CA, Stuyvesant High School, NY and Holy Ghost Prep, PA), and as the Director of Forensics at Phoenix Country Day School, AZ from 2012-2019. A former 3-time high school national finalist and 1-time college finalist himself (Duo/OO/Poetry), Ryan has had the privilege of working with and learning from some of the most interesting middle and high school students from a variety of backgrounds - culminating in over 40 national finalists and 4 NSDA High School National Champions and over 20 NSDA Middle School National Champions.  From 2012-2019, Phoenix Country Day School was awarded several Schools of Excellence in Speech at NSDA High School Nationals and the Overall School of Excellence for Speech & Debate at the NSDA Middle School National Tournament four times in 5 years. In 2020, during the pandemic, Ryan created, alongside several of the most recognizable coaches in the country, a performance piece that ran during online nationals called, "You Are Not Alone."  Ryan is currently ‘retired’ from speech and debate and is the Director of Advancement at Leysin American School in Switzerland.

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In this episode, Robert and Ryan discuss what the changes in middle school forensics, the disappointment of not breaking when you’re expecting it, and the significance of the word “DING!” Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Kimberly Lee originally started competing for Summit High School in New Jersey back in 2014, graduated in 2018, and began competing for the University of Texas at Austin since then until the end of the 2022 season. She primarily kept her focus on interp, while she did dabble in Communication Analysis in college. In Kimberly’s time in speech, she won 2018 High School National Speech and Debate Association in DI, as well as the 2021 College National Forensics Association in Prose. Kimberly dedicated her speech career towards voicing AAPI issues. Throughout her career, she was a part of over 30 National final rounds.

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In this episode, Robert and Kimberly discuss what NSDA final rounds are like, how to cope with COVID forensics, and the anxiety that comes with having your parents watch you perform.  Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Jeremy Carson competed back in the early 2000s for Cal State Long Beach, then coached both CSULB and Fullerton High School speech teams for 5 years after that. Along with a decent amount of finals in both interps and platforms, a three-year run as the Top Speaker in California, and a few Top 10 National Speaker Awards at AFA and NFA, his crowning achievement was when Jeremy and his sister became the first-ever brother/sister Duo to win at AFA while he was a senior and his sister was a freshman. When Jeremy left speech, some said a part of forensics died. Not many people said that. Mostly he did. And his mom.

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In this episode, Robert and Jeremy discuss the ways in which speech impacts graphic design, what it’s like to win a national championship in Duo with your little sister, and how coaches from other teams can sometimes be the biggest impact on your pieces.  Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Tiffany Brain was an active speech & debate competitor for Glendale Community College from 2006-2009. In that time she enjoyed competitions at colleges around the country and, while she may be best known for her 2008 Hard Candy Duo interpretation with partner Robert Cannon, she is proud of her 2009 solo win for Programmed Oral Interp at Spring Champs in 2009. Hey look, Sheep!

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In this episode, Robert and Tiffany reminisce about how to build a Duo from nothing, the pains of watching yourself on video, and how one’s biggest enemies can become lifelong friends.  Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Jim has been involved in forensics since 1990. He started his forensics career at Glenbard West High School in the Chicagoland. From there he went on to compete for College of DuPage. While at College of DuPage he earned the Bavaro-Tabor award as the top speaker at the 1994 Phi Rho Pi National Championships. From there he went on to Northern Arizona University achieving the National Championship in Prose Interpretation at the 1996 National Forensics Association National Championships. Jim began coaching at a TA California State University Chico and inducted into the Chico Hall of Fame as part of the 2012. He is also in the National Forensics Hall of Fame. Jim has been the Director of Forensics at Las Positas College in Livermore California since 2001. He has coached multiple National Championship teams during his time there.

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In this episode, Robert and Jim discuss what it’s like to have to sit out from tournaments, watching your coaches go wild at awards, and how to meet your significant other through speech.  Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Bailey Hess, while a friendly ray of sunshine, encompasses the ‘Average Joe’ of the Speech community. While she competed in both high school and college forensics, the closest she had to fame was placing third at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament in Duo. Instead, she has found her true calling as the head coach for Mounds View High School in Minnesota. Always a collection of rag-tag misfits and smarties, Bailey encourages one and all to join the team and find their voice. When not in season, she continues to consume Forensics in any way possible: listening to podcasts, watching performances on Youtube, and adding literature and topic ideas to an endless spreadsheet. Speech is life.

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In this episode, Robert and Bailey discuss navigating forensics without a coach, the trials of Creative Expression, and the originality of cleaning a kitty’s litter box.  Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Joel was introduced to debate through a teaching career in Asia where he taught American debate styles to international students in Taiwan. He's now retired from teaching in person but continues to remain active in providing Public Forum resources through Debatetrack. He also plans to expand to Policy lectures in the Spring of 2022. Find him on Instagram at @joelexperience or around the web @Debatetrack. 

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In this episode, Robert and Joel discuss teaching debate in a foreign land, creating content for free, and learning how to teach.  Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Jeff Moscaritolo holds an MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University and is currently pursuing a PhD in American Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. As a speech competitor in high school and college, he earned numerous accolades; he was the 2005 NFL Champion in Humorous interpretation and a multiple-time national finalist at the AFA-NIET across many categories. His short fiction and other writings having appeared in Indiana Review, Los Angeles Review, Paper Darts, Carve, and Lincoln Journal Star. His academic interests currently revolve around race, dance, empire, and memory.

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In this episode, Robert and Jeff discuss the power of POI, the pressures of using a piece everyone knows, and the differences between high school and college speech.  Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Alexandra Smith is a Congressional Debater from East Ridge High School in Central Minnesota. She has been heavily involved in the debate community nationally, is a two-time National Finalist and the 2021 NSDA House Champion. After graduating in June, she created an online company for Congressional Debaters to hone their skills and collaborate nationally while being accessible to everyone with an internet connection. Alexandra hopes to continue helping the Congress community grow and expand access to forensic activities during her time at university in British Columbia, Canada. 

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In this episode, Robert and Alexandra discuss when to speak in Congress, the stress of running a small company, and what happens when you actually read Robert’s Rules of Order.  Listen for free through Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Overcast, Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts.