First NCHS-hosted Debate Tournament

Lucia Molina
Features Editor

On Saturday, Mar. 5, the Debate Team co-hosted the Connecticut Debate Association tournament with Darien High School, splitting the pool of state teams in half. Of a total of 360 debaters participating, 140  came to NCHS. As this is the first year that the debate team was designated as a legitimate interscholastic athletic team, spirits were high and students were ready to debate the topic of whether the U.S. should prioritize democracy over stability.

The day began at 8 a.m. and continued until 5 p.m. From 9-10 they were given time to build their arguments before the first official round that began at 10.  Because of the long hours, many students became competitive with neighboring schools and the intensity rose.“It can get pretty intense because you’re with your competitors in the same room,” Debate Team President senior Bijan Tehrani said. “All I expect is for everyone to put up a lot of effort. I don’t expect trophies, just commitment.”

Debate Team member senior Paul Templeton finds that the healthy competition brings out the best in the debate team. “Debate is a sport that allows you to succeed in the world. It deserves just as much recognition like any normal sport,” he said. “It’s a sport in like any other you compete in. It’s good for you.”

Many schools came to agree that the most challenging group of competitors came from Wilton. “They’re really good,” junior Megan Paul said. “I know our team is good too so it was great being able to try and compete with debaters at the same level.”

Other schools said they felt similarly. “It’s mainly the same for every multi-school debate I’ve been too—Wilton’s always the challenge,” Joel Barlow High School junior Sam Torchio said.

Wilton recognized the capability of their competitors. “This is the strongest team we’ve had in a while,” Wilton High School senior Austin Schaeper said. “It’s been nice seeing how strong other teams have become.”

Although challenged by competing schools, Debate Team Coach and history teacher Kristine Goldhawk has high hopes for the team.  “I’ll be happy to get our team members in the top ten,” Ms. Goldhawk said. “But we’ve been on the cusp since our last tournament in November. I’m still very hopeful.”

Although wanting to win is a given, many students just love the experience. “Debating is really about being on your feet and taking what has been presented to you and working with it,” sophomore Alima Cannon said. “You just have to be ready for anything which is why it’s so intriguing.”

Freshman Gita Abhiraman anticipates the end of the tournament to be rewarding in experience. “I think that debate teaches you to be argumentative and to think of solutions dealing with real world problems,” she said. “It’s really rewarding once you know that you’ve really established your position in the debate by the end of the day.”

In the tournament, Wilton won the final round against Joel Barlow. Paul and junior David Luchs were sixth in the Varsity division and qualified for states.

“I don’t care if we don’t take trophies home,” Ms. Goldhawk said. “I’m still very proud of the team.”