Join NextGen Debate and the Orange County Debate League for a fun-filled summer camp! Visit nextgendebate.org/camp for all up to date information.
OCDL May Championship Recap
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:
- HACR TSK
- PEGJ SS
- PEGJ YKL
- BMSB PCL
- PEGS STY
- PEGS TSE
- PEGS KRW
- HACR HK
- PEGS DSS
- FAHS GTC
- NEA HNA
- FAHS ALC
- PEGS QMY
- PEGS ZJY
- NEA ELP
- FAHS SZW
- NEA SGG
- IOK AMK
- NEA HLS
- PEGJ ASW
- PEGJ PWL
- PEGJ DHC
- PEGJ LPL
- FNT SKG
- COGI ChHuZh
- HOPE CPT
- FNT ADN
- COGI BBS
- NEA PMP
- HACR VJJ
- FAHS SKS
- HACB WZ
- HACR LK
- COGI KST
- BMSB LWL
- BMSB BKN
- HACR SJP
- LGDS SOP
- FNT PSP
- SFDS NI
- NEASS HCP
- FNT BJH
- NEA KWP
- IOK SKB
- LGDS MA
- NEASS JDH
- BMSO HGC
- BMSB AM
- HOPE GSY
- FAHS HAD
- COGI CHZ
- FAHS LKK
- BMSB BJC
- BMSB PWC
- SFDS HBA
- FAHS NTP
- FAHS GGP
- LGDS LAY
- BMSO ALA
- HOPE QVS
- IOK AKE
- HACB FB
- BMSO LLL
- LGDS KD
- HACB LLZ
- FAHS BMC
- HACB LZW
- HACB KTZ
- HACB TC
Top Speakers
- Noelle Kim
- Stavan Shah
- Suraj Shah
- Willie Tsai
- Dillan Shah
- Dharma Le
- Naomi Tran
- Kennedi Sy
- Arjun Gaggar
- CJ Smith
- Zaid Khan
- Rohan Soni
- Joshua Lee
- Everett Yun
- Muhammad Motala
- Shaan Kamdar
- Aumrita Savdharia
- Maya Gandhi
- Milania Kia
- Tegan Wright
- Olivia Thimons
- Evan Razmjoo
- Sahiba Chowdhary
- Leo Anderson
- Bea Englar-Carlson
- Saara Dang
- Lance Young
- Ryan Le
- Halle Ewing
- Ella Townsend
- Austin Kang
- Anaya Qamar
- Katelyn Yeh
- Roy Kapoor
- Christian Jeng
- Shaurya Mittal
- Arjun Shah
- Ananya Devkriti
- Alisha Zhao
- Justin Pollack
- Ella Wong
- Adam Azzaz
- Rachel Nazareth
- Courtney T.
- Matthew Hyun
- Jackie Humenik
- Avery Chang
- Ethan Chien
- Charlotte Hobbs
- Namrata Motwani
Alumni Spotlight: Krishna Thaker

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.
Alumni Spotlight: Jack Thompson
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.”
Tips and Tricks – Adding Nuance to Arguments
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.
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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.
2020 OCDL Holiday Tournament Results

On December 5, 2020, the Orange County Debate League [OCDL] held its annual Holiday Tournament on the video communication platform, Zoom.
Over two hundred students from different schools competed in four rounds of debate on the following topics:
- Defund the police
- People should not eat meat.
- Requiring video to be on during distance learning does more good than harm.
This was the second tournament of the school year that was moved to an online platform due to a consistent rise in COVID-19 cases in the Orange County area.
Prior to the day of the tournament, all judges, coaches, and students were sent a “live” document that included any necessary Zoom links, all online debate rules, and naming conventions. Judges were also sent a separate guide with all policies and rules that they would need to familiarize themselves with before judging.
Easy accessibility to all necessary information allowed the tournament to run very smoothly. We experienced little to no delays and very few technical issues.
Winners of the tournament, for both the novice and open division, were announced the following Monday through an email from OCDL Treasurer Ben Hughes.
The winners included:
OPEN DIVISION
Team Awards
1. Fairmont HAC Red LTK
2. Fairmont AH Stripes NLS
3. Pegasus Senior QDS
4. New England Academy NHP
5. Pegasus Senior STY
6. Pegasus Junior PSY
7. Heritage Oak PQ
8. Fairmont HAC Red SCK
9. Fairmont AH Stripes TSS
10. Fairmont AH Stripes CAP
11. Pegasus Senior PSY
12. Pegasus Senior ZSM
13. Pegasus Senior PJL
14. Fairmont HAC Red HS
15. Heritage Oak HTV
Distinguished Teams (alphabetical order): Fairmont North Tustin ABH, Fairmont North Tustin JGA, Heritage Oak DGL, Pegasus Junior TWE, Pegasus Junior YKL
Speaker Awards
1. Noelle K
2. Everett Y
3. CJ S
4. Naomi T
5. Grace Y
6. Lance Y
7. Chloette H
8. Saara D
9. Ella T
10. Christian J
11. Rohan S
12. Tegan W
13. Bea E-C
14. Dillan S
15. Shaurya M
16. Courtney T-M
17. Olivia T
18. Ella W
19. Karan S
20. Willie T
21. Stavan S
22. Christina V
23. Jinyu Z
24. Alisha Z
25. Rachel N
26. Austin K
27. Aashna S
28. Suraj S
29. Leo A
30. Alexis K
Top Speakers by Grade Level:
8th-grade Noelle K
7th-grade Everett Y
6th-grade Alexis K
5th-grade Arham S
Distinguished Speakers (alphabetical order): Sherine A, Sahiba C, Arjun G, Andrew H, Matthew H, Lance J-N, Roy K, Milania K, Dharma L, Ryan L, Joshua L, Jacob L, Krishna P, Nathan P, Justin P, Sascha P, Kayla R, Arjun S, Seleen S, Arham S
Squad Awards
Overall Squad Award :
1. Pegasus Senior
2. Pegasus Junior
3. Fairmont Historic Anaheim
4. Fairmont Anaheim Hills Stripes
5. Heritage Oak
Tournament Award (Percentage of Wins by Squad)
1. Pegasus Senior
2. Fairmont Anaheim Hills Stripes
3. Fairmont Historic Anaheim Red
4. Fairmont North Tustin/Pegasus Junior
NOVICE DIVISION
Team Awards:
1. Fairmont AH Solids GLC
2. Cogito CHS
3. Fairmont AH Solids THP
4. New England Academy GPS
5. New England Academy HL
6. Beatty Middle School LWG
7. Fairmont AH Solids GPW
8. St. Francis AFW
9. Fairmont AH Solids GSN
10. Fairmont AH Solids SKW
Speaker Awards:
1. Olivia W
2. Sophia W
3. Maya G
4. Shriya G
5. Ben H
6. Kingston H
7. Neil G
8. Akshna G
9. Baylen S
10. Jase P
11. Eva C
12. Lydia L
13. Adit S
14. Eli C
15. Kiera K
16. Nick C
17. Jordan D
18. Micah H
19. Sidney S
20. Aaron L
All in all, this was a highly successful tournament and we at the O absolutely cannot wait to see what is in store for this upcoming year.
Tips / Tricks for the Scramble Tournament
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!