November 21, 2001

Students put up an argument

Teams make their points at Debate League

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       Resolved: The United States federal government should establish a foreign policy significantly limiting the use of weapons of mass destruction.
      Starting from this point, dozens of students from schools around the region threw themselves into the argument.
      Whether holding the affirmative or negative position, the two-person debate teams wrestled with issues of political instability and influence, treaty obligations, economic responsibilities and trade policies.
      And that was just the beginning.
      At the annual Traverse City Debate League competition and awards, hosted on Wednesday afternoon by the Central High School Debate Team, ideas and arguments flew fast and furious. The competition drew novice and varsity debaters from schools ranging from Glen Lake, Traverse City West High School and St. Francis to Petoskey, McBain and Manton.
      For these students, the hours of practice, days of research and weeks of preparation all come down to one hour in one room against one team. Wednesday's meet was the final one of the season for teams not going on to regional or state competition, the final chance to make their argument stick.
      "I like the adrenaline rush," said Amanda Evans, an 11th grade student at Central High School. "The knowledge that they start to run a plan that you know you can beat."
      During the debate, a judge closely listened to every word, meticulously tracking proposals and counterproposals, arguments and counter arguments, on a yellow legal pad. Meanwhile, debaters took notes as their opponents spoke.
      Between speakers, each side rifled papers and swapped plans - the better to demolish their opponents' ideas. With just a few minutes prep time to counter the opponent's points and promote their own plan, they needed all their research at their fingertips.
      Using the Internet, debaters spent hours this fall unearthing papers, statistics and analyses on the topic of weapons of mass destruction and foreign policy. Each team had a magic box of documents they kept highly organized to allow them quickly to find and cite articles supporting their point or tearing down an opponent's point.
      The topic debated Wednesday was the topic that all debate teams nationwide used this season. It was wide open for the affirmative team to present a plan while the negative team either worked to prove there was not a problem in this area or presented their own counter plan (a riskier strategy.)
      But some debaters go for the jugular when they detect that an opponent is too smug with their facts and figures.
      "We like to beat nerdy folk," said Nick Slocum, a 10th grade student from Petoskey High School. "A lot of these people are really cocky and it is fun to beat them."
      A team varsity sport, the competition at the podium is as intense as any gridiron play. While good sportsmanship is the cornerstone of high school debate, the debaters are there to prove their points and win - no holds barred.
      "I like the sweet taste of victory," said Matt Lake, a 10th grade student at Central High School. "You have to think incredibly fast."
      Darren DePuydt has been the coach of Central High School's Debate Team for the past five years. He sees many positive benefits to students who participate in the debate team.
      "They learn how to analyze problems and how to propose solutions and how to look at solutions and determine if they are going to be effective," DePuydt said. "They also learn a lot about research, writing, logical thinking and public speaking; there is a lot of thinking on your feet and being able to explain yourself clearly."
      A speech pathologist with the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District, DePuydt made himself available to his 12-member team every day after school during the season. While many student debaters are also involved in other extracurricular activities, most came to research and practice about three times a week, he said.
      "I try and focus on giving them what they need to do and let them go off and do it," said DePuydt, pleased that his novice team place third in Wednesday's meet and two other students won top speaker awards. "They pretty much check in with me for guidance. They take it very seriously."