CX Debaters End Season with Capitol Experience
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:19 AM
State Representative Mark Strama, a member of the House Education Committee, medals a student at the CX State Meet. Rep. Strama spoke to the students about the impact debate had on his life.
Photo by David Trussell
Our two Cross-Examination Debate State Meets in mid-March could not have been more exciting! It was the 102nd state debate tournament hosted by the League and for the first time ever, semi-final and final rounds in all conferences were debated at the Texas State Capitol.
I had been looking for a way to make the championship rounds more celebratory. Debaters do not have a defined season like sports, so they spend an entire year researching a resolution selected by a national balloting process. On any given topic area, there could be 75-100 different cases that demand maintaining the most current, up-to-date evidence files.
The district tournament requires multiple preliminary rounds leading to an elimination bracket, possibly three to four additional rounds. Each round consumes approximately one hour and a half, so at the end of the competition, debaters will have spent 12 hours in the heat of battle. Unlike other academic team events that advance four individual competitors as well as the top team, policy debaters compete strictly as a team, and only two district teams earn the right to go to the Big Dance in Austin.
The state tournament schedule requires four preliminary rounds on day one, with an additional four elimination rounds on day two. That means 12 more hours of competition engage before debaters can be crowned a conference champion.
Typically, when the final championship clash takes place, hosted in a college classroom, all the exhausted eliminated debaters have either left for their hotels or their respective schools, leaving the medal ceremony fanfare to be shared by few.
Debate is the oldest contest sponsored by UIL, and debaters should have an exciting venue to match the historical significant of their event. Cowboys Stadium, Bass Performing Hall and the Alamodome are the host locations for athletic, music and theatre championships. What could be a more perfect site for our debate championships than the very place where laws and policy are created for our great state?
Senator Florence Shapiro who chairs the Senate Education Committee served as capitol sponsor for the event and her office personnel were instrumental in assisting with the details.
Hosting at the Capitol was thrilling for the finalists and drew capacity crowds. Especially memorable for Conference 4 and 5A contestants was the address delivered in the Capitol Auditorium by State Representative Mark Strama, a member of the House Education Committee. Strama was a former high school debater from Houston Memorial High School who debated on the collegiate circuit for Brown University.
He emphasized to UIL debaters the skills he gained from participating in debate and the impact those skills had on his political career. Of particular value, he noted, was learning to understand the reasons people hold a different opinion than yourself on an issue, a skill debating develops since each team must advocate affirmative and negative on a resolution, analyzing an issue from all sides.
Strama also identified networking as a critical skill that debate promotes. Traveling to tournaments throughout the state, often nationally, and engaging in mental combat builds a strong connection and sense of respect for opponents. Strama shared examples of individuals he debated against in college who now hold significant positions in state and federal government, individuals he remains connected with from their earlier debating years shared. Video highlights of his speech are posted on the UIL website.
Added to the Capitol venue was a change in the type of awards given to the top speaker designated in each conference. The Gold Gavel awards this year were replicated from those actually used in the Texas Senate and House chambers. Receiving these impressive gavels were: Lucinda Krahl, Conference A, Lindsay HS; Eleanor Kirkscey, Conference AA, Blanco HS; Tyler Crippin, Conference AAA, Ferris HS; Ben Betik, Conference AAAA, Ennis HS; Faraz Hemani, Conference AAAAA, Dulles HS.
Debate squads often spend so much time together they begin to feel like a family. Unique to this tournament was the fact that several conference champions truly were a family affair. Conference A, AA, and AAA champions were coached by their parent(s), as well as the silver medalists in Conference A and one member of Conference 4A has a mom who coaches speech at a neighboring school. See the accompanying article and photos.
Congratulations to our newest state champions in policy debate:
Conference 5A
Faraz Hemani and Humza Tariq – Fort Bend Dulles HS
Conference 4A
Andrew Barron and Margaret Solice – Pflugerville Hendrickson HS
Conference 3A
Kaitlyn Bull and Carver Hodgkiss – Paris North Lamar HS
Conference 2A
Annie Albrecht and Eleanor Kirkscey – Blanco HS
Conference 1A
Savanna Barksdale and Hunter Hall – Farwell HS