Ever Been in an Argument?
By: Sofia Hayes
If you’ve never been in an argument, you are not human. It’s natural to want your opinion heard and it’s equally natural to not know how. Have there ever been times that you’ve had a brilliant idea and not known how to voice it? This is when participating in speech and debate could come in handy.
“Debate allows you to develop social skills, build friendships and relationships, and learn to communicate effectively,” said senior Isaac Richards.
Senior Tyler Christensen, captain of the speech and debate team, explains that people have meaningless conversations all the time. In debate, on the other hand, conversations can really mean so much more. For example, the current Public Forum topic is on carbon taxes; who even thinks about whether we should adopt a carbon tax or not? Debate allows us to dive into the controversies of the real world and get a little taste of what’s to come.
Debate not only allows students at Madison to grow intellectually, but it allows them to grow socially and emotionally as well.
“I’ve kept up with debate, honestly, because of the people. Debate has allowed me to connect with people on a higher level than I would otherwise. I couldn’t imagine my life without debate; I wouldn’t want to, at least. Debate forms a great team that is able to communicate with each other and connect,” said senior Tyler Christensen.
Former debater and Madison graduate, Quinton Cheney, reflects on his experience by saying, “Through debate you are able to interact with people from other schools more than just through sports. You are constantly talking and getting to know one another so you have friends up and down the valley.”
Along with the fun, exciting, and social aspect of debate comes the serious, life-changing advantages and lessons. So the next time you find yourself stuttering in an argument, the only person you can be mad at is yourself for not practicing speech and debate.
Debate lingo
By: John Franson
Most people would be confused if someone used the term LD or spew but debate kids are perfectly familiar with the terms. There are many debate terms that can be understood by debaters everywhere.
There are three different types of debate. They are LD, PF, and Policy.
LD (Lincoln Douglas): Very moral and ethical
PF (Public Forum): Uses evidence to support claims, debates pro’s and con’s
Policy: Presents a plan to fix something
There are also three different levels that people compete in and they are Novice, JV, and Varsity.
Novice: First year debaters
JV: Second year debaters (some skip this year and go straight to Varsity)
Varsity: Any debater who thinks they are good enough to compete with the experienced debaters
Other debate terms
Paradigm: How the judges are judging the debate.
Nats/Nat quals: National qualifying tournament.
Spew/Spread: Reading something really fast.
Contention: A structure of a case
Criterion: How you measure your value.
CX: Cross examination, asking your opponent’s questions.
Flow: Notes taken on a debate.
Hitting: Being against your opponent
Talking to debaters can be hard sometimes with of all the short and slang terms used. Being able to understand debate lingo can be helpful when talking about the debate world.
