By Vivian Dyer.
Debate competed in the Big Spring TFA Halloween Spooktacular on October 28. Out of the five students that competed, one placed seventh, while two more broke into quarterfinals.
Hearing of their victory was very uplifting according to senior Gentry Bennett.
“It felt good because we have a lot of new people this year and it was nice to know that were doing well so early in the season,” Gentry said.
Out of all of their competitions, Congress was their most successful.
“Congress is a form of debate where you give speeches on a docket that’s made at the beginning of each season,” sophomore Syler Richardson said.
Although the competition was rewarding, it still came with some struggles according to Richardson.
“It was a heated chamber,” Richardson said. “It was mentally challenging for me. I didn’t do that well in the morning but in the afternoon, I got ranked second by one of the judges.”
Before competition, students prepared themselves by practicing with one another.
“You have to write three-minute-long speeches,” freshman Lainey Marz said. “Then it’s just practicing, and we give them to each other and practice with questions because you get questions after each speech.”
With all of their successful competitions, Marz feels that the team’s positivity creates an enjoyable experience.
“It’s a really fun environment because it’s a bit of a smaller class so we really get to know each other really well and we really support each other with writing our speeches and competing,” Marz said.
Richardson feels that the preparation for competition is what helps him to confidently compete.
“I make sure that I read out all my speeches to my friends, making sure that they ask me questions to make sure I’m fully prepared and ready to go in that competition with a clear mind, knowing that all my speeches are practiced,” Richardson said.
With the competitions and practice, debate has been able to teach useful resources to students according to Bennett.
“It has taught me to be better at public speaking,” Bennett said.
