By SARA LAWSON
Assistant News Editor

(WARRENBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — Three UCM students will cross the Atlantic Ocean to compete in the 20th annual Montgomery Cup Tour.

The Talking Mules currently have the Montgomery Cup, the trophy awarded to the winners at the end of the tour. The winners get to keep the cup until the next year.

There are teams representing the U.S.A., Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The U.S. team has won the Montgomery Cup 13 times in the 15 years it has participated in the Cup. This will be the 16th year the Talking Mules will be participating.

The U.S. team will be composed of students from UCM and Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

Talking Mules Speech and Debate members Samantha Begley, a senior political science major; Tyler Slinkard, a sophomore political science major; and Brenton Mitchell, a senior theater major, will be joining up with, Elizabeth Kept, John Brown and Lance Rich, members of the debate team from LSU.

UCM Director of Forensics Jack Rogers is the coach for the U.S. team and the tour organizer. UCM Assistant Director of Forensics Nikki Freeman will be the tour’s chief adjudicator.

Director of Debate at LSU at Shreveport and head coach, Trey Gibson, said that he and his team “appreciate Dr. Rogers including us in the project.” This trip will be the second time the two universities have teamed up for the Montgomery Cup.

John Markley, assistant coach for the Talking Mules and graduate student in communication, will also go on the trip to be trained as an adjudicator.

Markley participated as a part of the team last year but this year, he has a different role.

“I actually get to judge the debates, so I get to be put into a different kind of situation,” Markley said.

Markley commented on the challenges of debating in a different country and in the British Parliamentary Debate style.

“We’re so used to the cut-throat, back and forth debate over here…over there it’s a lot more conceptual, a lot more persuasive speaking,” he said.

Rogers selected students for the trip based on factors such as ability to coach and competitive skills.

“Showing that you have the work ethic and the personal composure to travel abroad and represent the university in a positive light is essentially one of the ways you can get chosen to go on this trip,” Markley said.

The team will leave Feb. 28 and return March 15. They will visit and debate the following universities during their stay in Ireland: the University College in Dublin, the University College in Cork, Limerick University, and Queen’s College in Belfast; and universities in Scotland: Glasglow University, St. Andrews, and Edinburgh University.