Debate
My mom put me in debate in 3rd grade to deal with my pent-up yap. Nine years later, I still have not stopped talking.
What I do
start here ↓
Speech and Debate is one of the biggest parts of my life! I’ve been competing for the past 9 years. I started in 3rd grade because my mom thought I was a chatterbox and wanted to give me a way to release all my pent up yap.
I started out doing SPAR debate and impromptu speaking. Then, throughout middle school to high school, I’ve tried out practically EVERY event. Now, I’m mainly focused on Congressional debate, and I dabble in a little bit of extemporaneous speaking and parliamentary debate.
Michelle’s debate podium
always three ↓
Favorite tournaments
- 1The National Speech and Debate Tournament
- 2Cal Invitational at UC Berkeley
- 3Big Wave Dave Invitational (they serve cupcakes at this one!)
Best events
- 1Congressional Debate
- 2Parliamentary Debate
- 3National Extemporaneous Speaking
Favorite congress bills
- 1A Resolution to Repudiate Golden Urn Diplomacy
- 2A Bill to Fund Space Debris Removal
- 3Patent Thickets
Random congress top 3s
- 1Being elected Presiding Officer by a unanimous vote
- 2People actually laughing at the joke in your intro
- 3Breaking into finals with all your friends
Cross examination
Q. Senator, why did you pick congressional debate out of all the options?
A.Two reasons. First, I really like how the event values strong and poetic speaking and rhetoric as well as intelligent argumentation. It also forces you to think on your feet and adapt to the round, meaning that you can’t just come with a prepared “canned” speech. A good speech reacts to what has or has not been said in the round. It’s just so unpredictable, I love it!
Second, I feel like it’s an event that has such a strong community tied to it. You and around 12 other people in your chamber form a very special bond by the end of each event, and it’s a neat way to make friends.
Q. How do you prepare for tournaments?
A.Usually a lot of preparation is accumulated through experience and reading the news over a long period of time; however, before tournaments I’ll typically spend around 3 hours just reading about a topic without picking a side. Then, I turn all the evidence and rhetoric from what I just learned into a bunch of argument ideas and pick my top 2 on each side! I prep out those arguments, write myself an AGD (Attention Getting Device / intro), then voila!
Q. How has your speaking style changed since you started competing?
A.In freshman and sophomore year, I made the mistake of writing out all of my speeches word for word. This definitely took a lot of the fun out of the event. Arguments made by your entire chamber of at least 10 are meant to build on top of each other like lego. It’s so crucial to be constantly adapting to what’s being said in round and bounce off of what’s been said in order to have an interactive and entertaining round. It’s nearly impossible to do this if you have your full speech written before you even step into the room, which is why I decided to adapt!
By junior and senior year, I started preparing flexible speeches instead. I come with the research, evidence, and arguments I developed outside the round, but I build the final speech around what happens inside it. As a result, my speeches are now so much more dynamic, and I feel so much more free because I’m no longer stuck to a prewritten structure!
The record
If I had to pick a top 5 out of the many (I mean, I’ve been doing this event for 10 years so…):
Tape
no tape uploaded yet
a round I’m not embarrassed by
the rest of the roll ↓
— M.