Debate team learns about space travel
Allison Shore and Izzy Goetze are a power duo for the debate team. Their team has a new assistant coach, Laura Hammond. The girls are seen practicing in school on October 9th.
October 20, 2019
The 2019 debate season started with many new debate members on the team. Along with the new novice population in the club, former head coach, English teacher Laura Hammond returns as an assistant coach with English teacher Cory Quick as head coach.
“Having a large novice division of the team is great because we will have them for several years and build up a really successful team along the way,” Hammond said.
Though most of the new debaters this year are freshmen, novice seniors are also a priority. Team captains, junior Allison Shore and senior Grace McDonough, make sure there is an extra effort to make the novice seniors feel appreciated.
“We like to try and move them along, give them the curriculum a little faster, so that they could debate on JV by the end of the season,” Shore said.
During practices the team researches, builds and practices their cases to ultimately achieve their goals of the season. Everybody involved has their own personal goals and what they would like to get out of debate, in addition to having goals for the team as well.
The overall goals Shore included are working on getting as many teams into the finals at state and also having everybody win at least half of their tournaments.
The debates are competed in different rounds in a tournament in teams of two. A successful tournament would not be possible without collaborating.
“It is really fun to see so many young people interested in the activity, because that makes us stronger as a team. The more people we have on a team, you know, the better we work together, because it really is a team actively. It’s kind of like a track team, right? You practice together, but you have your own individual successes,” Hammond added.
There are two topics the teams are going to compete in this season. The first topic they will debate is whether or not there should be a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s. Members have to prepare cases for both sides and have to argue the affirmative and also the negative.
“If you look at Kennedy’s 1962 speech, a lot of the things that he talks about when he talks about going to the moon, because it is hard, because it is a challenge because it will inspire American people and create American leadership,” McDonough explained.
As the debate team works their cases for topic one, the second topic is getting members excited. The first topic is usually more introductory. The second is currently unknown.
“This is the shorter one, it is kind out to introduce people how to debate, how to write a case and it is usually less controversial,” Shore said. “The next topic should be a little spicier.”
“You should join debate because all of the skills, the writing, the speaking, the reading, the questioning- all of that stuff is so applicable to not only school, but to your job, whatever job you do, you’re going to have to learn to speak, and debate is a really great place to do that,” McDonough added.
