<!– 
–>
Elenore (Cotter) Klingler
Major in college:
- Political science
Years on the team
- Competitor, 1996-1998;
- Assistant coach, 1999-2003
Graduation year:
- 1998 (Undergrad);
- 2003 (Law school and Graduate school)
What you competed in (ie Speech, Policy, Parliamentary debate)
Speech, with a tiny, unfortunate venture into parli. I considered myself an extemper who did other events in order to travel or for pentath.
What you liked most about the team
The team is family. We laugh, fight, cry, practice, study, and drive for hours (and hours) together. And, like family, we stay in touch after we leave home. I’ve been to debate weddings (including my own!) and held debate babies. I’ve been to debate funerals. If you’re part of the team, really a part, then it’s a part of you forever.
What you have been doing since you graduated
I married Rob, went to law school, moved to Atlanta, practiced law full-time, had two babies, and now practice law very part-time when I’m not transporting children to or from school. Rumor has it that I am a wildly popular Girl Scout troop leader, which I hope everyone I knew on the team has a good laugh about. Sadly, I also drive a minivan, with which I had much experience on the team.
How you feel like the Speech and Debate Team has impacted you
The team gave me a place to call home in the huge community that is UF. It gave me lifelong friends (not to mention a partner in life!). It gave me critical thinking and quick response skills that I use in my professional and personal life everyday. And it gave me the ability to B.S. about absolutely anything for seven minutes. It is not an overstatement in the least to say that joining the team was one of the most important decisions of my life.
Favorite memory of the team
At my last nationals at the University of Mississippi, we arrived into Oxford incredibly late and drove to the hotel recommended to us by our host. When we got there, we discovered that it was the kind of room one can rent on an hourly basis. Seriously, the beds had slots for quarters. Of course, there were no hotel rooms to be found. We had just decided to sleep in the vans when our friends at the University of Alabama called to share their rooms with us. Never underestimate the power of D6 love!
Favorite topic you spoke or debated on
My terrible prose piece that I did for pentath purposes is one of my favorites, because really, no one should have been subjected to me interping anything. But extemp was always my favorite: any topic, anytime. There’s nothing like that rush of prep!