As fall sports like football, soccer, and cross country come to an end, a more “physically” enduring activity comes to play: Speech and Debate. Two weeks ago, the public forum debate team sent its members to two different tournaments where pairs of students faced off in two vs. two debate matches. This first tournaments topic that teams debated was whether the pros of the Internet of Things (connected items) outweighed the cons of decreased privacy. The team had its up and downs during the first tournament, but it ended on a high note with juniors Matthew Wesorick and Eric Miranda placing among the top finishers, and Captain Will Frankel and junior Akshat Chowksey getting fourth place and winning their first state bid of the season.
The Public Forum season will compete in weekly Saturday tournaments until the end of January before preparing for the district championships, which will be held in February, and the State Tournament, which will be held in Match. The Public Forum team also hopes to qualify competitors for the national tournament, which will be held in Birmingham, Alabama in June 2017. After the completion of these local, state, and national level tournaments, University School hosts one-week debate camps at the Hunting Valley campus and at Kenyon College in mid-July and late July, respectively.
When asked about their experiences thus far, the team members responded by describing the Public Forum team as a tightly knit community. Junior Akshat Chowksey said, “All the guys on the team are a tight community that I can rely on. I’ve come to consider them as my brothers.” Freshman Sukhm Kang agrees: “I love how I can just ask upper classmen for help. They are all figures I look up too. When I have questions, I can always go to Eric Miranda for clarification.”
Both veterans and beginners were happy with the commencement of the season on October 29th at the Edison and John F. Kennedy tournaments. Freshman Sukhm Kang said, “My partner and I went 2 wins and 1 loss, which is pretty sweet”. Veterans Will Frankel and Akshat Chowksey won fourth place overall, earning the first of four bids necessary to automatically qualify for the state tournament.
Akshat says that the veterans saw a great start for the novices and hopes that the team will get better as the season continues. Captain Will Frankel agrees: “We were happy with the team’s results. This tournament was a great starting place for the team.”
