After being crowned No. 1 within the community college system last year, the forensics team started the year with a “warm-up” tournament last weekend.

However with different issues, including budget problems, the team will be smaller than the previous team that was one of the best in the nation.

“We have a smaller team this year because of the economy in general,” Francesca Bishop, forensics team coach, said. “We have less students and the cost of tournaments has gone up. It’s quite expensive. They have to pay for entry fees as well as judging fees.”

The next tournament will be the “Double-up” Tournament which is going to take place Oct. 14 – 16 at the Concordia University in Irvine.

Shannon Meredith, 20, political science major, who is one of the returning members for the team, won superior for extemporaneous speaking and impromptu speaking over the weekend.

“The tournament gave us opportunities to get back in the game,” Meredith said. “It was our chance to show the newer debaters. People looked to the (returning members) more for guidance.”

Harrison Shieh, 18, business and economics major, who won superior on extemporaneous speaking, said it was a good experience and different from his previous debating experiences.

“It was definitely harder than high school debate,” Shieh said. “If the weekend was any indication of how it is to come, I’m very excited.”

Although the forensics team is facing some obstacles, Bishop said that she thinks that the team is still going to do very well.

Morgan McNally, 19, political science major, who is also a returning member won superior in impromptu speaking.

“You know everything that is involved (as a returner),” McNally said. “You don’t have the jitters. Everything feels so smooth.”