Dan Smith
Nash Larkin (from left), Ryan Long, Taylor Berenbaum, Mark Ingerson, Julia Vaughan of the Salem High School forensics team.
FORENSICS 'SHOWED US WE COULD DO THE HARD THINGS' By Dan Smith
Salem High’s 16 straight state titles have taught students some basic and valuable lessons about business. When Coach Mark Ingerson looks up and down the roster of his forensics team, he sees future sales professionals, lawyers, doctors. When he looks at the walls and shelves of his classroom and of the Salem High School library, he sees evidence of the school’s remarkable 16-season winning streak, one that has resulted in a state championship each of those seasons and a massive number of individual event titles. That winning streak became a Virginia High School League record as this past season ended recently, breaking the streak of 15 in a row, held by Blacksburg High. Ingerson has coached at Salem High for 20 years. None of this is by accident. Future teams are built among elementary and middle school children in Salem and enhanced by summer forensics camps for kids 6th through 9th grade. Eighth graders can
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be on the high school team, since students in many high school sports (the non-contact ones) are eligible to compete for five years in high school. Salem had 16 competitors this past year with 25 total team members. Several more competed in debate only. Salem won five of 10 individual events at the state tournament. State champion Ryan Long, a junior, played basketball early-on, but “saw the forensics students [dressed up, including coat and tie] and thought they were cool. I didn’t belong in basketball,” so she jumped at forensics. Forensics, for the uninitiated, is a natural for future business leaders. According to smallbusinesschorn.com, forensics competition is “a contest between individuals or teams in various argument and advocacy skills. The
