Del Mar College Vocal Vikings continue to find success at multiple speech and debate tournaments, led by team captain Elyda Vasquez, who has brought back trophies from every tournament she has attended since the fall semester.
In the Fall, Vasquez won second place in Poetry and Prose at the TIFA competition and first place at Nations in Programmed Oral Interpretation (POI) at the Off-Broadway Speech Tournament in New York. Vasquez has been competing in speech and debate competitions since the seventh grade.
Winning first place in five competitions along with second in another five within her history on the team, Vasquez has quickly become a standout leader for her team.
“She is an excellent team captain,” said team advisor and Professor of Speech Sarah Contreras. “She works hard, she checks in with people. She keeps people on target, and she wins.”
Vasquez easily maintains a record of consistently placing in the top five in her attended tournaments. This success has helped bring recognition and motivation to the Vocal Vikings, along with improving newer members’ speaking and performance skills.
“This activity is about crafting or searching for pieces of literature, poetry, media, drama and weaving those together to speak to a specific social concern in today’s society,” Vasquez explained.
The Vocal Vikings compete in a variety of competitions within their tournaments, including poetry, public address, debate and programmed oral interpretation (POI). These require practice in editing, memorizing, writing, and acting.
“We always want it to have a message. We want whoever’s listening to it, walk out and know something they didn’t know before. Or feel something they didn’t feel,” Contreras said.
The team travels throughout the state competing in tournaments and gaining experience against other Texas colleges. The team also competes at out-of-state events when possible.
Each competition offers opportunities for students to enhance their public speaking, performing and critical-thinking skills.
“The sport itself creates confident, well-informed adults that form arguments based on evidence and data and argue their point by providing that evidence and data,” Vasquez said.
With Vasquez leading the team, the Vocal Vikings are optimistic to continue their winning streak and bring home the trophy.
With Vasquez’s departure in the fall, the team is focused on recruiting new members and expanding the team’s participation in upcoming events. They are looking for students willing to dedicate some of their time to the team starting Fall 2026.
Anyone interested in joining the Vocal Vikings can contact Sarah Contreras at scontreras@delmar.edu.
2026 Accomplishments
Spring 2026 TIFA at Texas State
University – February 2026
3rd place – Programmed Oral Interpretation
4th place – Prose
4th place – Poetry
Named to the All-State Forensic Squad
Bobcat Classic Tournament at Texas State University – February 2026
2nd place – Programmed Oral Interpretation
4th place – Prose
5th place – Poetry
Texas Community College Forensic Association at San Antonio College – February 2026
1st place – Programmed Oral Interpretation
2nd place – Poetry
4th place “Top Speaker”
Texas Shuffle Tournament (Part 1) at San Antonio College – February 2026
2nd place – Poetry
3rd place – Programmed Oral Interpretation
Texas Shuffle Tournament (Part 2) at San Antonio College – March 2026
1st place – Programmed Oral Interpretation
1st place – Prose
3rd place – Poetry
1st place “Top Speaker”
2nd place “Top Speaker” Overall (for both halves of tournament)
