Debate team talks its way into multiple victories

The speech and debate team has been dominating the South Bay league, winning many regional tournaments and placing students in top brackets. The team has succeeded in an unprecedented number of qualifying tournaments this year, including the Jack Howe Invitational, the Fullerton Invitational and the La Costa Canyon Invitational.

In order to win a league debate tournament, a team must win three or four debate rounds at invitationals. There are six rounds plus additional competitions between advancing teams. Invitationals can be extremely competitive because they determine who will go to the Tournament of Champions, the most competitive national tournament for high school students.

“One of our biggest strengths is the number of coaches that we have and the quality of coaches that we have,” senior and debate captain Gopika Jalan said.

“We get a lot of practice done and so when we go to tournaments we are very well-prepared.”

Debate topics tend to be about governmental issues, whereas speech topics range from humorous speeches to original interpretation. Six coaches aid the speech and debate students in research and practice. Jalan moderates the meetings each week and helps lead the team, while other officers assist new debate members and freshmen.

“Being in such a positive, work oriented environment challenges you as a person to push yourself to do more,” senior Laura Griffin said. “The very medium of speech and debate allows you to think more critically and creatively in every aspect of your life. We are a very tight-knit family, where we are always
there to support each other.”