In brief, Why I Care

At a high school with so much emphasis on science and math, communication skills are often neglected. When I was a freshman, a drive for self-improvement pushed me to the join Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate team and to research, write, and speak more than I needed for any of my classes, all without a coach.

When I was Teaching Coordinator, the LD team quadrupled in size; one area coach called us the “TJ army.” So I was devastated when the same people I taught every week did not elect me as Captain. I blamed myself, I blamed people who didn’t show up for the elections, until finally I stepped back and remembered why I started debating: not for a resume or trophies, but to tackle the same fear of public speaking that more Americans fear than death.

I remembered the tournament when a freshman told me she cried during her second round. I thought of the people who kept coming to team meetings but delayed attending any tournaments until there were no more left in the year. I sympathized with still others who were deterred from the start by the esotericism of policy debate and the prospect of debating alone in LD.

With a stronger vision than before, I co-founded the PF team in order to give those students another way to develop their communication skills just as LD had helped me become a more confident orator. The PF style is less esoteric, topics concern “hot button” issues, and students debate in pairs. The team thrives today with a dozen dedicated members.

To me, this creation is more than just some club with kids in suits. It represents the culmination of a high school debating career, my hopes for increased participation in debate and forensics, and my little footprint on the world.

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You can’t know the fun of debate without experiencing it. Some novices get discouraged. Debate can be a scary experience for people not comfortable with public speaking. I certainly was one of those people. My first tournament, my legs shook uncontrollably, I looked at the floor and window instead of at the judge, and my rebuttals were punctuated by very long pauses when I didn’t know what to say next. Four years later, I can tell you that debate is a very effective confidence builder. And it’s fun. Why else would someone voluntarily write more research papers than needed for any of their classes, just to spend their Saturdays in a business suit?

For the skills it builds, debate certainly has an impressive who’s who list.