Category: Uncategorized

The Orange County Debate League held its annual Championship tournament on Saturday, May 15 from 8 a.m to 3 p.m. During the tournament, teams debated three topics in four rounds, with the first topic debated twice and the students switching sides in between. 

The debated topics were as follows: 

• Saudi Arabia is more an enemy than an ally to the United States. 
• The pandemic lockdowns have done more good than harm. 
• Eliminate school gifted and talented programs. 
• Amend the US Constitution to permit a recall of the President. 

The fourth topic, Amend the US Constitution to permit a recall of the President, was debated in the final round by the top two teams participating in the tournament.

Every year, the top two teams in terms of average speaker scores and win to loss ratio debate against one another at the Championship tournament for the title of “Number One Team” in the middle school league. The round typically occurs in the auditorium or gym where all students and parents are welcome to watch and a team of three senior judges is chosen to judge the round. 

All in all, this tournamentov was overwhelmingly successful. It marked the end of a year defined by challenges and isolation. Thank you to all who participated in this year’s debate season. We look forward to seeing you next year! The results of the tournament are as follows: 

Top Teams:

1. HACR TSK 
2. PEGJ SS
3. PEGJ YKL 
4. BMSB PCL 
5. PEGS STY 
6. PEGS TSE
7. PEGS KRW
8. HACR HK 
9. PEGS DSS 
10. FAHS GTC 
11. NEA HNA 
12. FAHS ALC 
13. PEGS QMY 
14. PEGS ZJY 
15. NEA ELP 
16. FAHS SZW 
17. NEA SGG 
18. IOK AMK 
19. NEA HLS 
20. PEGJ ASW 
21. PEGJ PWL 
22. PEGJ DHC 
23. PEGJ LPL 
24. FNT SKG 
25. COGI ChHuZh 
26. HOPE CPT 
27. FNT ADN 
28. COGI BBS 
29. NEA PMP 
30. HACR VJJ 
31. FAHS SKS 
32. HACB WZ 
33. HACR LK 
34. COGI KST 
35. BMSB LWL 
36. BMSB BKN 
37. HACR SJP 
38. LGDS SOP 
39. FNT PSP 
40. SFDS NI 
41. NEASS HCP 
42. FNT BJH 
43. NEA KWP 
44. IOK SKB 
45. LGDS MA 
46. NEASS JDH 
47. BMSO HGC 
48. BMSB AM 
49. HOPE GSY 
50. FAHS HAD 
51. COGI CHZ 
52. FAHS LKK 
53. BMSB BJC 
54. BMSB PWC 
55. SFDS HBA 
56. FAHS NTP 
57. FAHS GGP 
58. LGDS LAY 
59. BMSO ALA 
60. HOPE QVS 
61. IOK AKE 
62. HACB FB 
63. BMSO LLL 
64. LGDS KD 
65. HACB LLZ
66. FAHS BMC 
67. HACB LZW 
68. HACB KTZ 
69. HACB TC 

Top Speakers 

1. Noelle Kim 
2. Stavan Shah 
3. Suraj Shah 
4. Willie Tsai 
5. Dillan Shah 
6. Dharma Le 
7. Naomi Tran 
8. Kennedi Sy 
9. Arjun Gaggar 
10. CJ Smith 
11. Zaid Khan 
12. Rohan Soni 
13. Joshua Lee 
14. Everett Yun 
15. Muhammad Motala 
16. Shaan Kamdar 
17. Aumrita Savdharia 
18. Maya Gandhi 
19. Milania Kia 
20. Tegan Wright 
21. Olivia Thimons 
22. Evan Razmjoo 
23. Sahiba Chowdhary 
24. Leo Anderson 
25. Bea Englar-Carlson 
26. Saara Dang 
27. Lance Young 
28. Ryan Le 
29. Halle Ewing 
30. Ella Townsend 
31. Austin Kang 
32. Anaya Qamar 
33. Katelyn Yeh 
34. Roy Kapoor 
35. Christian Jeng 
36. Shaurya Mittal 
37. Arjun Shah 
38. Ananya Devkriti 
39. Alisha Zhao 
40. Justin Pollack 
41. Ella Wong 
42. Adam Azzaz 
43. Rachel Nazareth 
44. Courtney T. 
45. Matthew Hyun 
46. Jackie Humenik 
47. Avery Chang 
48. Ethan Chien 
49. Charlotte Hobbs 
50. Namrata Motwani 

Currently a junior at Sunny Hills High School, Krishna Thaker has been involved in debate for many years. Inspired by her older cousin, also a debater, Krishna had been determined to join debate since third grade, and finally joined the Orange County Debate League in fifth grade. She first debated on behalf of Beatty Elementary School until reaching middle school, when she debated for Buena Park Junior High. Over the course of her four years debating in the league, she accumulated over 13 speaking awards, even ranking once in the top five. Since graduating from the middle school league, she has returned as a judge and now judges at all OCDL tournaments. She is also a part of the OCDL’s Communications Committee.

Her time in OCDL inspired her to be active in her community and use her voice to make a difference. When she started high school, she kept this spirit and involved herself through clubs, writing, and dance. She is in several clubs, including Red Cross, Junior State of America (JSA), the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and Amnesty International. Krishna is especially passionate about JSA, where she holds the esteemed position of Director of Debate. In the club, different resolutions are debated, congressional bills are written, and students are educated about the government and its ever-changing politics in the point of view of their own peers. Krishna attributes her success in the program to her years of debate, which urged her to become informed on prominent issues about society and the government. 

Krishna also enjoys writing for her school paper, the Accolade. Some topics she has written about include the electoral college, her fellowship with the California Democratic Party, and the various effects and impacts of Covid-19. 

In school, Krishna challenges herself with rigorous courses as well as many extracurriculars. Outside of school, she remains devoted to spreading awareness about the issues she holds close to her heart and volunteering with the Orange County Debate League, whether through judging at tournaments or helping out with the Communications team.

Over the course of the past few weeks, I have had an ongoing conversation with OCDL alum Jack Thompson. We discussed how OCDL has impacted his life and what he has done since his last middle school debate through the league. 

Jack is currently a senior at San Juan Hills High School and started competing in OCDL through New England Academy when he was in 7th grade. He has been involved with the League ever since. In his 7th and 8th grade years, he placed in the top ten speakers many times and even in the top three speakers during his 8th grade year. After graduating from the middle school league, he decided to join OCDL’s high school league, at which he placed first place. He also helps coach middle school classes at his debate alma mater, New England Academy.

Jack’s passion for debate urged him to change the debate club at his high school. He took over the club and used the debate techniques he learned through OCDL such as the AREI format,  to help other aspiring debaters in the club. He still hosts regular debates and meetings through this club.

Outside of debate, he is involved in the Model United Nations program,  in which he has won many awards including the Best Delegate, which is the highest ranked award you can win in the program. He also started the Standardized Test prep club, which focuses on helping his peers prepare for the ACT and SAT exams. He also enjoys the outdoors and backpacking. He has backpacked in Mammoth, the lost coast trail, and the Sierra Mountain. He also is involved in the sport of Cross Country. 

Jack stresses the importance of debate in his high school career. He says that debate and the skill of public speaking has helped him tremendously in boosting his confidence, as well as in his college interviews, and writing essays for his applications. When asked one thing that he wants everyone to take away from this article, he replied, “I think the speaking skills, no matter what you do in life, will help you and how you present yourself in the future.”

At its best, debate is a space for open discussions. It inspires students to take initiative and learn about current events from a multitude of viewpoints. During rounds, speakers contribute to conversations that account for those perspectives, and each angle contributes to a different understanding of the topic. At its worst, however, debate can cause people to become defensive and unwilling to continue these conversations. As a result, being an effective debater also means knowing how to frame topics mindfully, especially when discussions include sensitive subjects. 

In every round, your priority should be to avoid alienating anyone in your audience; in the scope of a debate round, doing so could harm your chances of winning because your words could personally affect your judge and/or your opponents. 

Even more important, however, is the risk of causing people to close off from the discussion and possibly reinforcing the belief that they should avoid these conversations in the future.

Adding nuance to arguments is a key skill in preparing debate cases, and the following examples demonstrate how you can build narratives for your cases in an effective and respectful way.

For the middle school affirmative action topic:

Proponents of affirmative action believe that it increases diversity, partly remedies the nation’s history of racial injustice, and extends opportunities to minorities that they historically have been excluded from. Others, however, say that it leads to “reverse discrimination,” superficial diversity, and a continuation of stereotypes.

When discussing either side of this topic, please be mindful of your phrasing. Arguments surrounding affirmative action often tend to perpetuate stereotypes, such as the “model minority” myth for Asian-American applicants to universities. Make sure to also avoid misrepresenting your prop case as reasons why certain communities do not deserve to be granted preference; your arguments may want to advocate a position based on how affirmative action policies unfairly benefit some populations more than others, but saying that some people “do not deserve” something does not effectively convey your point.

For the high school 1619 Project topic:

The introduction of slavery to the colonies and subsequent organization of anti-slavery movements were a formative part of American history. As a result, it is important to begin your narrative in a way that acknowledges this rather than, for example, pushes for the topic of slavery to be excluded from school curriculums.

Historical narratives are constantly evolving, so you should familiarize yourself with not only the arguments but also the most common historical viewpoints supporting each side. When you incorporate these narratives into your points, represent them accurately because they can be nuanced; evidence for this subject may be less statistics-based, so make sure to avoid misrepresenting quotes and literature. Since the topic is open-ended, your team on the prop should also discuss specific, concrete ways to center social studies classes around the 1619 Project.

–

These two topics both explore multi-faceted arguments related to racial inequality. As always in debate, focus on the tone and implications of your assertions; the scope of your narrative extends past the timeframe of the round itself, which is especially true for discussions of racial inequality.

Your voice can only be a tool for change if you are able to convey your arguments effectively, so use it wisely.

The start of a new season looks a little different this year–breakout rooms have replaced classrooms, and teammates and opponents alike sit miles apart from each other. As the first tournament of the 2020-2021 OCDL season, the Scramble on the 24th is a unique opportunity for both new and returning debaters to  gain debate experience and connect with other debaters in the league. Here are some tips to create the best tournament experience possible!

Tip 1: Reach out to people

  Debate is a collaborative activity, and since the Scramble’s structure places students from different schools onto one team, it teaches you both the skill of teamwork and that of networking. Especially this year, the Scramble will allow you to get to know others within the league who you might not meet elsewhere, so take this time to get to know your teammates!

Tip 2: Keep track of feedback

As you should do in every tournament, take notes on your judges’ constructive feedback. Keeping these comments organized in one place will allow you to refer to them consistently as you prepare for future tournaments, which is one of the best ways that you can improve your performance. Have a paper and pen out or keep a document open before your disclosures!

Tip 3: Complete a tech check

It is now more important than ever that your Wi-fi works properly and your devices don’t run into any issues. To ensure that no technological difficulties arise when you are giving a speech, try out different setups before the tournament and figure out what allows you to best transition between giving speeches, flowing, and possibly timing yourself. Familiarize yourself with debating virtually during your school’s practices, and check with others on the call to see if you are lagging or cutting out. If you do all of this beforehand, you save yourself from extra stress on tournament day and ensure that nothing distracts from your performance.

Tip 4: Ask questions!

Don’t fall prey to the dreaded silence of Zoom. Your judges are solely there to help you, so after rounds, if you have any questions, please ask. This information will most likely help all of the other debaters and make everyone else more comfortable to ask their questions as well. The most important thing to remember is that debate is supposed to be a community and that the only way to be an active member of that community is to take initiative and build your connections with your peers. 

The start of the OCDL season is always an exciting time, and the Scramble is the perfect opportunity to practice your public speaking, receive feedback from experienced coaches and judges, and meet other students within the league. These tips and tricks will help you enhance your debate experience so that you can make the most out of this opportunity. Good luck and happy debating!