CV Speech and Debate Prepares for Districts and States

CV Speech and Debate Prepares for Districts and States
Posted on 01/29/2018
CV Speech and Debate Prepares for Districts and States
Harshita Gupta
Staff Editor

One of CV’s most successful clubs, CV Speech and Debate, is preparing for its upcoming districts and states competitions. Competitors have not only been building cases, writing speeches, and researching arguments, but also preparing new members, especially underclassmen, to carry the club forward in the years to come.
“One of the best ways to prepare for big debate competitions is work through cases with newer members; it lets you get their perspectives and work through your own case. When I was a freshman, the seniors in debate were really critical to my success and enjoyment of the club. I want to fulfill the same role for incoming members,” debate co-captain Nikita Marathe said.
Speech and Debate encompasses numerous events, ensuring that members are able to find one they enjoy doing. The debate aspect teaches students to analyze, research, and defend their arguments in a competitive environment. The speech aspect teaches students to speak with confidence and inflection about a topic of their choosing, all skills that will remain relevant for the rest of their life. The club offers a variety of events for students to participate in, such as Policy debate, Lincoln Douglas debate, Original Oratory, Humorous Interpretation, Extemporaneous, and Public Forum.
“When I joined the club, my event, Public Forum, was brand new for CV. I was part of the first group of kids who really researched and competed in the event at competitions. Now there are many CV competitors who do Public Forum,” debate co-captain Saba Rahman said. “I really appreciate that the club not only offers so many events, but allows students to research and participate in new ones as well.”
Speech and Debate districts will be held February 17, 2018 at Messiah College. CV students will represent the school at numerous events, including Lincoln-Douglas debate, Public Forum, Policy debate, Original Oratory, Humorous Interpretation, and Extemporaneous speech. The top two ranking competitors at the district level will be able to move on to the Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Tournament in March. Veteran members will compete and new members will get the chance to observe and learn from both the district and state tournaments.
“I have been participating in districts for the last 3 years and I have found it to be an challenging and enriching event. This year the goal for everyone at districts is to make it to states; at states, the goal is to try and place, but above all to have fun,” Marathe said.
Last year, then senior Noah Lee was the only one to place at states, achieving first place.
“We are all working toward placing at states; we want more people from CV to make it up on stage this year. We have all attended multiple invitations to practice and we meet every sunday from 12:30 - 3:00 to prepare our cases,” Rahman said. “I think a lot of kids don’t understand how hard Speech and Debate actually works; we want more people to join so we aren’t as obscure.”
In the end, what members value most about the club and the competitions are the time spent bonding with friends and intellectual equals. They recommend all students join and find their niche.
“Speech and Debate not only taught me a lot, it introducedme to some of my closest friends,” Marathe said. “It’s a really good learning opportunity for anyone who wants to meet new people and learn a lot about competition and learn about a variety of topics and strategies.”
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