“We’re seeing a lot of our teams excelling and getting better, which is a good sign, not only for this year, but for the future as well,” said Scott Herndon, the UT Dallas debate program director.
After the first two tournaments of the 2014-15 season, the UT Dallas debate team has proved to be tough competition.
In late September at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, two of the program’s five individual teams racked up winning records and advanced to the elimination rounds.
Juniors Jacob Loehr and Anthony Ogbuli chalked up wins over competitors from the University of Kansas, New York University and the University of California, Berkley.
The team of sophomores Demarcus Powell and Daniel “Chad” Becker advanced to the quarterfinals in the junior varsity division with a 5-1 record.
“All in all, it’s been a strong start to 2014. We’re seeing a lot of our teams excelling and getting better, which is a good sign, not only for this year, but for the future as well,” said Scott Herndon, the UT Dallas debate program director.
“It’s great to see so many different teams and debaters off to a strong start to the season. The team’s really grown in size and competitiveness. If we can keep this up, it could be another great season for UTD debate.”
Debate Camp
Over the summer, the UT Dallas debate program hosted its eighth annual Comet Debate Institute, a program that teaches middle school and high school students effective speaking and strategic debate skills.
“Debate teaches these kids how to have a voice. My favorite thing about this summer program is you see the students walk away with a sense of agency and the ability to advocate for what they think,” Scott Herndon said.
Some highlights from this year’s camp can be found here.
At the second tournament of the season at the University of Kentucky, Loehr and Ogbuli had a strong showing with a 5-3 record that included notable wins over students from Wake Forest, Kansas, West Georgia and Gonzaga.
The freshman team of Kyle Ballard and Thomas Flanagan finished high enough to qualify for the Kentucky Frosh Breakout, which honors some of the best first-year debaters in the nation. They lost in the quarterfinals to a team from Emory University on a close 2-1 decision.
“Our top team, Loehr and Ogbuli, has winning records at our first two major national tournaments, and our younger debaters are garnering attention. We will continue to improve. We’re showing a lot of promise right now,” Herndon said.
In college debate, two teams, each composed of two students, face off on a general topic — one taking the affirmative position, the other the negative side. The topic for this season is “Resolved: The United States should legalize one or more of the following: marijuana, organ sales, online gambling, physician assisted suicide and/or prostitution.”