Bolivar High School’s speech and debate team won its first-ever MSHSAA State Championship in speech last week. The Liberators also had their first individual speech event champion in school history and their first individual debate event champion in 25 years.

Individual and Team Placements:

• Policy Debate: Kinadie Reed and Asher Mauck (1st Place - State Champions)

• International Extemporaneous Speaking: Asher Mauck (1st Place - State Champion)

• Class 1 Speech Sweepstakes: 1st Place

• Class 1 Debate Sweepstakes: 2nd Place

• Storytelling: Hannah Watkins (2nd Place), Gloria Marsch (5th Place)

• Prose Reading: Chloe Way (2nd Place)

• Informative Speaking: Brayden D’Amore (2nd Place)

• Public Forum Debate: Chloe Way and Rhyan Roberts (3rd Place)

• United States Extemporaneous Speaking: Rhyan Roberts (3rd Place), Remia Ross (5th Place)

• Duet Acting: Chloe Way and Padma Brewer (5th Place)
  

“It has been a very special feeling knowing that nobody else has been able to accomplish that so far,” said Chloe Way, a senior on Bolivar’s varsity speech and debate team. “Being a part of the first team that has done that just makes me really proud of myself and my teammates.”

Another senior on the team, Cambria Condon, expressed hope that this is the start of a long tradition of excellence for Bolivar Speech and Debate.

“I feel like a lot of times when we do something for the first time, we’re like, ‘Wow, we want this to go down in history,’ but I’m kind of hoping that one day we’re almost forgotten because we have done it so many more times in the future,” Condon said.

Established in the 1970s, the Bolivar speech and debate team has a strong history of excellence, but had never won a state championship, until now. The team came close in 2023 and 2024, placing in the top five on the debate side, but the Liberators have reached new levels of success during the 2025-26 school year.

Coach Brian Winckler credits “the leadership of [the] seniors” and “the willingness of everyone on the team to make sacrifices to accomplish a common goal” as the reason for Bolivar’s success this year.

The team’s seniors echo their coach and further emphasize hard work and team cohesiveness as key factors.

“I think a lot of that success comes from how hard the team practices. They put in a lot of preparation. Obviously, we have great coaches who are always willing to help, and a lot of our varsity members are also very helpful to the novice,” said Way.

“I know that there were times, like at districts, we had novices come an extra day. Even if they didn’t break, they came an extra day just to see what everyone else did. I think it’s really sweet because we are very open about supporting each other,” Condon said.

In addition to Bolivar’s team success at the state championships this year, Winckler was named Ozark District Coach of the Year.

“I think it’s been such a journey since he started, especially when we were freshmen,” said Hannah Watkins, a senior on Bolivar’s varsity speech and debate team. “We’ve just been able to see not only him grow, but him help teach us and grow all together as a team.”

“It’s been a long time coming. He first started coaching here my freshman year, and he got District Assistant Coach of the Year,” Way said. “I know he talks a lot about how he’s seen our growth as competitors, but we’ve also seen his growth as a coach, and I think it is absolutely so incredibly deserved for him to get that award.”

There is also a sentiment amongst Bolivar’s speech and debate team that Winckler deserves even more recognition.

“I think that it should just be the standard–that he should just get it every time…I think it’s well deserved, obviously, but I also think that he should be getting even more,” Condon said.

Winckler first joined the Bolivar speech and debate team as the assistant coach during the 2022-23 school year. After one year, he was promoted to the head coach role, where he has served his students for the past three years, teaching them principles for speech and debate and their lives beyond.

“He’s really taught me to just never give up. He’s definitely a hard coach, but it’s definitely pushed me to be the best version of myself,” Watkins said.

While Winckler is a hard-working coach, he attributes his success to his students.

“It wouldn’t have happened without the dedication of all of the students that we have on our team and our program. They go out and compete and give up their weekend every single weekend,” Winckler said.

For Winckler, however, the success of the team and their state championship is much more meaningful to him than his personal accolades.

“I’ve been coaching for 18 years, and I have never been able to be a part of one of those before. It’s just a super special moment because it’s just a culmination of everything coming together–all of the hard work coming together–and most of all just being able to see the excitement and the smiles on the kids’ faces definitely makes all of it worth it,” Winckler said.

The Bolivar speech and debate team now moves its focus to a series of three national tournaments, culminating in the National Speech and Debate Association Tournament in Richmond, Virginia, on June 14-19.

“It’s a little stressful. For me, knowing that it is my last time going to those competitions, I am trying to put in as much work as I can to make it my best experience possible,” Way said.

“We are going to do the best we can, which is what in my mind is success, even if we aren’t first in the nation,” Condon said. “I think that we’re going to do really well, no matter what.”

It has been a long journey for Winckler, these seniors, and everyone on Bolivar’s speech and debate team. This journey has been filled with lots of hard work, lots of growth, and its arrival at a place in Bolivar High School’s history.

“In general, our team has done so well and even if most of our team didn’t qualify to state or nationals, it really shows that a lot of our team has grown so much, no matter how you look at it,” Condon said. “I don’t think there will ever be a time where you can look at the Bolivar speech and debate team and not see growth in any aspect.”