Debate Team’s Great First Tournament, Whole Team makes Playoffs!

The AISG Debate team had their first tournament on November 12 to 13, the team did an amazing job making it all the way to the playoffs and a member received second place. 

The AISG Debate team participated in the National High School Debate League of China (NHSDLC), and the tournament consisted of 46 teams each with two members. All the teams had the same topic: the federal reserve and if it has been more beneficial than harmful. 

AISG was represented by three teams: Vincent S. and Thomas H., Catrina Z. and Melody L., Alex M. and Johnny M. Vincent S. and Thomas H. especially did an amazing job, placing in second place. 

“It felt pretty good, it was a fun tournament, and making it to the playoffs felt great, especially for us since we were mostly first-time debaters. It was a mix of nerves and excitement, but I think our arguments were well-constructed and logical, even if we could’ve delivered them a bit better. Overall it was a pretty fun experience, and will help out a lot with later applications, like colleges or public speaking.” – Alex M., a sophomore at AISG. 

“I felt slightly nervous, as this was my first debate of any kind. We didn’t enter the debate with too many expectations, but I think we walked away with very satisfactory results. The first-place team was the champions of the last season, so I think we did fairly well. We were complete beginners playing against people with months or years of experience, we were more than happy with our second-place ranking in a national debate competition. We were constantly improving throughout the debate, the only part I think we could’ve done more of is presenting an argument framework during our opening constructive speech. When we qualified for the finals we jumped in celebration but immediately went back to preparing our case and arguments. Despite knowing that we would very likely lose, we put up a good debate against the first-place team, with some of the judges voting for us as well.” – Thomas H., a senior of AISG. 

The round structure of the tournament included 7 parts, the beginning was a Constructive debate from each team for 5 minutes, and they then went on to a 3-minute Crossfire. After each team had a chance at a Rebuttal for 4 minutes, then another 3-minute Crossfire. There then as a 2-minute Summary given by each team, then a Grand Crossfire for 3 minutes. The last stage was the Final Focus with each team getting two minutes. 

At the beginning of each debate, there was a coin flip to determine which team chooses their side and their order in speaking. The winner would be able to decide if they want to argue for the pro of the topic or the con. They would also get to decide if they wish to speak first or second. Every team needed to be able to have a case for both the pro and cons because of the possibility of not getting to choose what they argue for. 

For further information about the NHSDLC, the League Guide can be found online.