Glenbrook South debaters competed at the annual Cal Invitational UC Berkeley debate tournament on Feb. 14 through Feb. 16, Tara Tate, Social Studies Teacher and Debate Director, said. Senior Anu Khishore finished in sixth place, and senior Neel Patel finished in tenth place, dominating the other 190 debaters attending, Tate said.
Additionally, Khishore and her partner, junior Paulina Martinez, finished in ninth place and received a bid, or an exclusive invitation, to attend the Tournament of Champions, debates’ national championship, in April at the University of Kentucky, Tate said.
In order to prepare for Berkeley, Khishore spent time researching what her competitors may say in their arguments, Khishore explained.
“We read a lot of articles and do a lot of research to answer the arguments the teams may use,” Khishore said.
In addition to preparing individually, debaters perform practice debates and practice speeches during class, Tate said.
Khishore enjoys this tournament due to its unique structure compared to others tournaments she has attended, Khishore said. Debaters compete in a round, have a 15 minute break, then return for their next round. At Berkeley, there are speech events added into the schedule, so debaters have more time to explore or prepare between rounds, Khishore said.
A challenge with this can be that tournaments extend throughout the day, so debaters must have a high level of stamina to push through their rigorous schedules, Tate said.
Khishore was honored to represent South, a public school, at this tournament, she said.
“Most of the schools you see competing are private schools, so knowing that the South debate program has so many resources makes winning so much more meaningful,” Khishore said.
Tate hopes that this tournament will give debaters the exposure needed to compete well at national and international competitions, such as at the Illinois Debate State Championship which begins Feb. 28 through Mar. 2 at Glenbrook North, Tate said.
“We haven’t been exposed to a lot of the top teams in California, as well as some of the judges,” Tate said. “You have to debate against the best teams to get better.”
