The War of Words

Coach Kyle Bean explains some strategies to novices at one of the first tournaments of the year.

Friday nights – and Saturdays for that matter – are usually spent hanging out with friends, going to games and concerts, shopping, catching up on sleep, or maybe, just maybe, even doing homework. But for a group of Bellaire students, those are the times reserved for debate tournaments.

Spanning high schools and universities, “locals” are held all around Houston, while bigger tournaments require trips across the state and the country. The war of words is waged on many fronts, from statewide circuits such UIL and TFA (Texas Forensic Association), to competitions held by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) and “bid” tournaments that present opportunities to qualify for the national Tournament of Champions. 

Debate is actually split up into several different types or events, unknown to most people. Cross-Examination debate features two-hour rounds between two teams of partners, asking each pair to either negate or affirm the yearlong resolution. Congressional debate simulates Congress in a way, with “chambers” of debaters going over legislation. Public Forum is another partner-event that allows team to choose a pro or con side on periodic topics based on a coin flip, and Lincoln-Douglas is a single-person debate also based around periodic topics. Bellaire’s large squad encourages debaters in every event. 

Armed with caffeine and laptops, Bellaire’s debaters have begun this season with success. The rows of plaques and cases of trophies inside the purple debate room make it clear that this success is a tradition passed down through coaches and squads over the years. It is made of late nights spent researching, brought out by coaches that feed potential, and cultivated by the squad itself, with advice passed from older, experienced debaters to first-years and novices. 

The varying levels of the squad are captured by the tournament schedule: in September, at the beginning of the season, first-years were sent into their very own novice tournament at Bellaire. “Novice Extravaganza” gave novices hands-on experience through several rounds of debate amongst themselves. At the same time, a group of older debaters traveled off to Grapevine, TX. Just last weekend, Coach Kyle Bean led a troop out to a local tournament while Coach Jay Stubbs accompanied six varsity debaters up to Chicago to compete on the national circuit. 

Indeed, there’s a lot to manage, not just for the coaches, but also for the debaters. “The amount of work you put in definitely determines the results you get,” said Amber Liu. A junior, she’s had experience across a multitude of debate types, from Congressional debate to Lincoln-Douglas to her current event, Public Forum.

“It’s a big time commitment,” said senior Aaron Birenbaum. “Is it worth it? Most varsity debaters will probably tell you yes.” Aside from the bountiful awards – Bellaire has qualified people to the NSDA and the TOC’s respective national tournaments more than once – debate has created a tight-knit network of friends and taught the students about everything ranging from science to current events to philosophy to politics. 

And it has brought students around the nation into a community of curious and intelligent minds, linking Bellaire’s debaters to friends in California, New York, and Florida. It is an incredible community that creates movements like Debaters Against Sexism that aim to help girls, while running regular and well-kept pages like Debate Compliments that send messages of encouragement and congratulations from across the nation. It is a community that will just as willingly discuss President Obama’s actions on immigration as it will argue over Chinese economics or the meaning of Nietzsche’s theories. 

Next weekend, a group of debaters travels out to the University of Texas at Austin’s annual “Longhorn Classic”. The week after, another group will travel to compete in Louisiana. Some of the best experiences I have had in high school have been on travel tournaments for debate, whether it was picking up snickerdoodles from Tiff’s Treats after a successful tournament or just joking with my friends in hotel rooms as we prepared for the next days’ competition. Debate feeds our competitive spirits and challenges us to do better. Competitive debate is really much like a sport – a battle of the minds, a war of words.