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Fall 2021 Tournament Results are in! Take a look below.
JACK HOWE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT MS PF | Ariana Corbu & Alice Luo | Quarterfinals STEPHEN STEWART MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL INVITATIONAL IMP | Angela Jia | Finals, 18th JV PF | Kayla Park & Thomas Guo | Semis JV PF | Armaan Sharma & Anushree Samsi | 1st Novice LD | Saanvi Kancharla | undefeated, 1st (?) Novice LD | Adyant Bhavsar | Speaker award #3 Novice LD | Saanvi Kancharla | Speaker award #7 GEORGETOWN FALL 2021 MS Open PF | Thomas Guo & Kayla Park | Quarters MS Open PF | Alice Luo | Speaker Award #11 out of 118 JV PF | Anushree Samsi & Armaan Sharma | Octafinals SPRINGBOARD SCRIMMAGE #3 Open PF | Dhruva Cheethirala & Saanvi Kotha | 2-0 Open PF | Noel Edathara & Jessie Wang | 2-0 Open PF | Vedant Hathalia & Shruthi Nagulapalli | 1-BYE Rising Stars LD | Angela Jia | 2-0 NATIONAL ONLINE FORENSICS TOURNAMENT #1 MS LD | Mihika Deshpande | Gold MS LD | Neil Kumar | Silver MS LD | Mihika Deshpande | Speaker award #1 MS LD | Neil Kumar | Speaker award # MS LD | Rohan Agarwal | Speaker award #3 MS LD | Aashi Mehrotra | Speaker award #4 MS LD | Jay Bhimani | Speaker award #5 MS PF | Advi Wehzan & Ishita Chopra | Gold MS PF | Samanvi Hublikar & Bowen Yan | Silver MS PF | Anirudh Rao & Ananya Vorugu | Bronze MS PF | Samanvi Hublikar | Speaker award #1 MS PF | Advi Wehzan | Speaker award #2 MS PF | Rohan Gohel | Speaker award #3 MS PF | Esha Verma | Speaker award #4 MS PF | Ishita Chopra | Speaker award #5 HS IMP | Janice Lee | Gold HS IMP | Rishabh Sahoo | Silver MS IMP | Ayana Rao | Silver BARGAIN BELT INVITATIONAL Novice LD | Adyant Bhavsar | Semis THE CSUF INVITATIONAL MS IMP | Alice Luo | 1st MS IMP | Ariana Corbu | 2nd MS LD | Saanvi Kancharla | Quarters MS LD | Saanvi Kancharla | Speaker award #3 MS PF | Alice Luo & Ariana Corbu | Quarters MS PF | Alice Luo | Speaker award #1 MS PF | Ariana Corbu | Speaker award #5 Novice PF | Viraj Walia & Kaiwei Parks | Semis Novice PF | Kaiwei Parks | Speaker award #8 Open IMP | Sanjana Sivaraj | 1st Novice OI/DEC | Maitland Wais | 2nd* *(out of 3) HENRY CLAY SR JR VIRTUAL SPEECH AND DEBATE TOURNAMENT GSA | Debate Sweepstakes | 3rd Junior OI | Maitland Wais | 4th Senior OI | Shakkthi Sadagopan | 5th Novice PF | AnikaMangla & Varshith Reddy Gunjapally | 1st SPRINGBOARD SCRIMMAGE #6 Rising Stars PF | Viraj Walia & Kaiwei Parks | 2-0 Rising Stars PF | Arjun Thakur & Aditya Narula | 2-0 Rising Stars PF | Rohan Gohel & Esha Verma | 2-0 SCJFL 1ST QUARTER DEBATE ONLY TOURNAMENT LD | Laya Krishnan | Speaker award #2 LD | Mihika Deshpande | Speaker award #4 LD | Nisha Ganesh | 4-2 | Seed: 10 LD | Laya Krishnan | 4-2 | Seed: 7 LD | Mihika Deshpande | 5-1 | Seed: 3 AMERICAN DEBATE LEAGUE HS FALL CLASSIC 21 PART 2 Declamation/OI | Yasmin Shaik | ? Novice PF | Yuvaan Parwaney | Speaker Award #6 Novice PF | Yuvaan Parwaney & Gautham Ramkumar | 5th (2-1) THE MASQ JUNIOR OI/DEC | Maitland Wais | 2nd OI/DEC | Dylan Liu | 6th RYLE VIRTUALLY HAUNTED INVITATIONAL OI | Shakkthi Sadagopan | 5th HI | Laya Krishnan | 6th IMP | Laya Krishnan | 4th KAREN KEEFER JV NOVICE SWING Novice/JV LD | Aman Shah | 3-1 JV IMP | Sanjana Sivaraj | 1st Novice IMP | Aimee Ding | 1st Novice IMP | Anish Raj | 2nd Novice IMP | Max Guo | 3rd SCJFL 1ST QUARTER SPEECH ONLY TOURNAMENT Novice IMP | Kaiwei Parks | 1st Novice IMP | Rohan Agarwal | 2nd Novice IMP | Ahaan Sood | 5th Novice IMP | Aakanksha Balachander | 6th Novice IMP | Naisha Chaturvedi | 7th Open IMP | Samanvi Hublikar | 2nd Open IMP | Thomas Guo | 7th OI/DEC | Maitland Wais | 1st SCJFL 1ST QUARTER ELEMENTARY TOURNAMENT Informative | Nikhil Sahoo | 5th Novice SPAR | Summer Xu | 6th Novice SPAR | Nivritti Karthik | 10th STRATFORD WAKE UP AND FALL BACK NOVICE INVITATIONAL Novice LD | Sophie Tian | 4th (seed) Novice LD | Rohit Upamaka | 6th (seed) Novice LD | Nisha Ganesh | 7th (seed) Novice LD | Laya Krishnan | 9th (seed) Novice LD | Max Guo | 10th (seed) IMP | Varshith Reddy Gunjapally | 7th (seed) Interp | Yasmin Shaik | 2nd (seed) OO | Aadhya Mamillapalli | 5th (seed) CRYPTO TOPIC PF SLAM MS JV/Varsity PF | Alice Luo & Ariana Corbu | 3-0 HS PF | Alexis Leo & Vedya Adurthy | 2-1 EDMONDS WOODWAY INVITATIONAL Novice IMP | Ayana Rao | 1st GROVES FALCON INVITATIONAL Novice LD | Rohit Upamaka | 1st Novice LD | Kiera Maben | 2nd Novice LD | Saanvi Kancharla | Semis Novice LD | Aman Shah | Semis Novice LD | Ishani Manral | Quarters Novice LD | Lauren Wu | Quarters Novice LD | Rohit Upamaka | 1st Novice LD | Kiera Maben | Speaker award #2 Novice LD | Aman Shah | Speaker award #3 Novice LD | Saanvi Kancharla | Speaker award #4 Novice LD | Rhea Cherukuri | Speaker award #6 MURRAY MIDDLE SCHOOL SPEECH TOURNAMENT IMP | Sanika Kris | 5th OO | Sanika Kris | 3rd SPRINGBOARD SCRIMMAGE #9 RS Extemp | Ayana Rao | 1st in her round SPRINGBOARD SCRIMMAGE #10 RS Extemp | Ayana Rao | 2nd in her round RS Info | Esha Verma | 3rd in her round Open LD | Shree Jay | 1-0 Open PF | Saanvi Kotha & Dhruva Cheethirala | 1-0 Open PF | Jessie Wang & Noel Edathara | 1-0 CRYPTO TOPIC PF SLAM 2 MS Open PF | Advi Wehzan & Ishita Chopra | 3-1 HS PF | Shirley Fan & Jenny/Jiarui Hu | 3-1 AMERICAN DEBATE LEAGUE HS FALL INVITATIONAL 21 Novice PF | Anika Mangla & Varshith Reddy Gunjapally | 3-0 Novice PF | Anika Mangla & Varshith Reddy Gunjapally | 3rd (seed) SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY'S JOHN LEWIS SVUDL INVITATIONAL Novice IMP | Kaiwei Parks | 5th Novice Extemp | Alice Luo | 7th Novice Extemp | Ariana Corbu | Semis Novice LD | Angela Jia | Quarters Novice PF | Anushree Samsi & Armaan Sharma | Semis Novice PF | Kaiwei Parks | Speaker award #1 Novice PF | Alice Luo | Speaker award #6 Novice PF | Ariana Corbu | Speaker award #11 SPRINGBOARD DECEMBER CAPSTONE RS LD | Anaya Gulati | 5th (4-1) RS LD | Adyant Bhavsar | 8th (3-2) Open PF | Vedya Adurthy & Cally Li | 8th (4-1) RS Info | Esha Verma | 1st RS Info | Cynthia Wang | 2nd RS OO | Angela Jia | 3rd RS HI | Aidan Cao | 3rd SCJFL 2ND QUARTER DEBATE ONLY TOURNAMENT LD | Mihika Deshpande | 5th (5-1) LD | Mihika Deshpande | Speaker Award #5 PF | Advi Wehzan & Ishita Chopra | 3rd (4-2) PF | Ishita Chopra | Speaker Award #5 PF | Advi Wehzan | Speaker Award #1 SCJFL 2ND QUARTER ELEMENTARY TOURNAMENT Congress | Samaira Sinha | 3rd Congress | Sejal Agarwal | 4th Congress | Nikhil Sahoo | 5th Novice SPAR | Nivritti Karthik | 1st Novice SPAR | Arjun Biswas | 14th Persuasive/OO | Samaira Uppal | 2nd Persuasive/OO | Nivritti Karthik | 4th Persuasive/OO | Era Dharwadkar | 5th LA COSTA CANYON WINTER CLASSIC IMP | Janice Lee | Semis IMP | Anika Mangla | Semis OI | Rohan Pilli | Semis DI | Lauren Wu | Semis LD | Nitya Sharma | Doubles LD | Nitya Sharma | Speaker award #3 CRYPTO TOPIC PF FREEZE 5-6 Grade PF | Sophie Tian & Cynthia Wang | 3-0 MS Rookies PF | Yuvaan Parwaney & Gautham Ramkumar | 3-1 MS Open PF | Bowen Yan & Samanvi Hublikar | 3-1 MS Open PF | Rohan Gohel & Esha Verma | 2-1 HS PF | Anushree Samsi & Armaan Sharma | 3-1 NOF FALL ASYNCHRONOUS TOURNAMENT Elem IMP | Sanika Kris | Gold MS OI | Maitland Wais | Gold MS OI | Aashi Gupta | Silver MS OI | Aman Shah | Bronze MS Platform | Esha Verma | Gold MS Platform | Ananya Vorugu | Bronze MS Interp | Rhea Cherukuri | Gold MS Interp | Rohan Gohel | Silver MS Interp | Laya Krishnan | Bronze MS IMP | Laya Krishnan | Bronze MS Extemp | Jayden Park | Bronze HS Extemp | Sanjana Sivaraj | Gold HS IMP | Janice Lee | Silver HS Platform | Angela Jia | Silver SCJFL 2ND QUARTER SPEECH ONLY TOURNAMENT Extemp | Ayana Rao | 2nd Extemp | Nimit Shrivastava | 3rd Extemp | Kaiwei Parks | 4th Novice IMP | Adyant Bhavsar | 1st Novice IMP | Max Guo | 2nd Novice IMP | Ishani Manral | 3rd Novice IMP | Dhruv Lalchandani | 4th Novice IMP | Naisha Chaturvedi | 6th RIVERHAWK INVITATIONAL Novice HI | Rhea Cherukuri | 1st Novice HI | Rohan Gohel | 2nd Novice HI | Avni Saxena | 3rd Novice HI | Joshitha Mannem | 4th Novice HI | Anika Mangla | 5th Novice HI | Oriana Deng | 6th Novice DI | Thanvi Ponakanti | 1st Open OO | Arul Mehrotra | OO Open PF | Shirley Fan & Jenny Hu | Semis Novice LD | Joshitha Mannem | Speaker award #5 Open LD | Yifan Li | 2nd NATIONAL ONLINE FORENSICS TOURNAMENT #2 MS Extemp | Alice Luo | Gold MS Extemp | Nimit Shrivastava | Silver HS Extemp | Janice Lee | Silver MS OI | Yasmin Shaik | Silver MS OI | Anirudh Rao | Bronze MS IMP | Aidan Cao | Gold MS IMP | Yasmin Shaik | Bronze MS LD | Mihika Deshpande | Silver (seed: 2) MS LD | Jayden Park | Silver (seed: 5) MS LD | Kiera Maben | Silver (seed: 7) MS LD | Aashi Mehrotra | Speaker award #2 MS LD | Mihika Deshpande | Speaker award #3 MS LD | Bretton Lam | Speaker award #5 MS LD | Jayden Park | Speaker award #6 HS LD | Shree Jay | Gold (seed: 1) HS LD | Angela Jia | Gold (Seed: 3) HS LD | Shree Jay | Speaker award #1 HS LD | Angela Jia | Speaker award #6 LA REINA INVITATIONAL Novice IMP | Ishita Chopra | Finals Novice IMP | Varshith Reddy Gunjapally | Finals Novice Interp | Laya Krishnan | Finals, 3rd? MS IMP | Avni Saxena | Finals MS IMP | Sahil Reddy | Finals MS IMP | Vedant Hathalia | Finals MS IMP | Aashi Gupta | Finals MS IMP | Anika Mangla | Finals MS Interp | Avni Saxena | Finals, 1st? MS Interp | Anika Mangla | Finals, 3rd? MS OI | Anaya Gulati | Finals MS OI | Fatema Shiyaji | Finals MS OI | Yuanxin/Bryan Zhou | Finals MS OO | Rucha Kore | Finals COLLEGE PREP LD INVITATIONAL Novice LD | Lauren Wu | Top Speaker #1 Open LD | Neil Kumar | Speaker #4 Open LD | Shakkthi Sadagopan | Speaker#5 CRYPTO TOPIC PF WORLD CUP MS Rookies PF | Aakanksha Balachander & Annika Verma | 2nd (tied) HS PF | Rohan Pilli & Tanishka Taware | 1st (tied) HS PF | Shirley Fan & Jiarui Hu | 2nd (tied) HS PF | Anay Takkallapalli & Lucy Sheng | 5th MS Varsity PF | Kayla Park & Thomas Guo | 3rd MS JV PF | Hagios Jerome & Shaurya Gupta | 5th BDL ONLINE JV Extemp | Varshith Reddy Gunjapally | 3rd OI | Rohan Pilli | 2nd MS PF | Aashi Gupta & Ishita Kapoor | 2-1 | Seed: 2
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Favorite thing to talk about. This is a hard one – I love to talk! I think as of right now, it would have to be space. With the successful launch of the new James Webb Telescope, I’ve been really captivated by space and have brought it up in conversations with almost all my friends. Can you explain why speech and debate is a relevant life skill in 2022? The COVID pandemic has ensued massive political and social unrest. Finding your voice has never been more important in a world where inequalities are being exposed and discussed in a quotidian lifestyle. Speech and debate is invaluable in finding that voice – it is what makes this activity special. Other activities may explore research skills about different topics or application to law or ethics, but speech and debate is uniquely able to craft and shape your voice like no other activity. Where did you first learn about speech and debate? I actually first learned speech and debate from Golden State Academy. I’m ecstatic to have the opportunity to coach my speech and debate alma mater! Were you a competitor? I was and still am a competitor. Currently, I am trying to achieve a double-qualification to the Tournament of Champions by qualifying in VPF. Did you have a routine before competing? Aside from prepping for the upcoming round, I mostly listen to “hype” music during the 30 minutes before the round because it helps me get in the rhythm for debate. I’ve found that this works for me, but other debaters will have other routines that work for them. With your experience as a competitor and now as a coach, what advice do you want to give to students apprehensive about competing? Competing is hard, but routine, discipline, and practice make it easier and more enjoyable. I think if students are able to find joy in the activity — the research, the tournaments, the actual rounds, the friends that come along — they would be more successful and happier. Oftentimes debate can be stressful, but remembering that it’s meant to be fun can help a lot. Are there any books or movies you would suggest? I recently just finished The Passing by Nella Larsen. Given how prevalent racism is in America, I was really curious to explore the concept of biraciality. I’d suggest reading The Passing to explore this topic in-depth! Favorite meal to have before coaching? Personally, I just like to have a quick snack before I coach, as it makes teaching a lot easier for me. That normally just consists of a banana and/or some yogurt. What’s your main strategy for coaching in 2022? I want to make sure that my students understand the fundamentals and basics of debate. Aside from their speaking skills, if I as a coach am able to help them view the debate from a bird's-eye perspective, then I’d be extremely happy with myself. This was a skill that I definitely learned late in the game, but has been monumental for me in both understanding debate and performing well on the national level.  Introduce yourself to our GSA family.
Hello! My name is Stefan Boone and I coach Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum debate. In high school, I was part of the Basis Independent Silicon Valley speech and debate team. I qualified to the Tournament of Champions, won the California Round Robin, and was ranked top 20 in the nation my senior year. Is speech and debate a relevant life skill? Why? Speech and debate is the most relevant life skill that can be acquired in middle school and high school. Through speech and debate students improve their critical thinking skills, improve their public speaking, and learn how to do research. I still continue to use the skills I learned in debate to this day. For example, I use these skills when writing essays, doing research for my professors, or even when talking to other people. Colleges also understand the value of speech and debate which is another reason speech and debate is beneficial. Where did you learn about speech and debate? Can you share a favorite moment from your experience competing? I originally started doing speech and debate in 8th grade through the Golden State Academy. Through GSA, I was able to pick up all of the necessary skills to begin a successful debate career and win tournaments. The best part about speech and debate is the friends made along the way. By going to camps and tournaments throughout the US, I made a lot of lifelong friendships. I also really enjoyed traveling with my debate team to Arizona State University and getting one of my first qualifications to the Tournament of Champions. How has coaching for the GSA impacted you in positive ways? Coaching for GSA has given me the ability to try to give students the same passion that I have for politics and economics. Until I began doing debate, I was completely unsure of what I wanted to do in college and beyond. Through debate, I learned about domestic politics, international relations, and economic systems which lead me to my current majors of Finance and Political Science. Through debate, I also realized that I want to go to law school. Beyond this, I have been able to see students transform from quiet and reserved to passionate and outgoing. What has been one of your most effective in-class strategies in helping apprehensive students debate in LD or PF? With your experience as a competitor and now as a coach, what advice do you want to give to students apprehensive about competing? Losing and mistakes are not a bad thing. When I first started debating, I was in the same position that every beginning debater is in. I struggled to think of arguments and was not good at public speaking. I thought that debate wasn't for me because I didn't like to give speeches or do research. Then, I went to my first tournament at Santa Clara University. It was one of the most rewarding experiences because, even though I only won 1 out of my 5 rounds, I realized how fun debate can be. In-class practice debates have been successful at showing students that speech and debate isn't as difficult as they think and giving them a small piece of the debate tournament experience. Last but not least, it's November. What is your favorite time of the year? What are you most grateful for? My favorite time of the year is definitely December and January around Christmas when I get to spend a lot of time with my family. I am most grateful for the health of my family and having the ability to see all of them in a few weeks over Thanksgiving break.  I recently taught a debate class with an amazing group of students with tons of energy. Immediately after meeting them I noticed each student was very expressive and did not hold when it came to sharing their opinions. Some of the highlights of my time with them include, how they quickly started each class excited about seeing each other, their enthusiasm about collaborating, and the endless commentary they expressed in anticipation of debating in class.
Every student and every class is completely different. Each class starting from interpretation all the way to public forum offers an opportunity for students to use their time in class to improve and practice using their unique voices. Below are 8 easy tips to adopt while in class or when being presented with topics that bring out your inner beast mode. Be sure to use them wisely, at the right time and with your own personal touch. We want students to have fun in class with respect to the coach’s leadership and everyone’s time. Adopting these practices is a great way to show appreciation for your time and that of others in the class.
 Debate coach, Mark Hernandez, brings a wealth of experience to our GSA family. With 24 years of experience as a coach and competitor, Hernandez, has earned hundreds of awards competing and has led debaters through late elimination rounds of all major national tournaments and championships. A Bay Area native, he started out from humble beginnings and at times faced homelessness. With perseverance and the guidance of MacArthur Fellow Genius recipient, Mr. Tommie Lindsey, of the James Logan Forensics Team, he developed into a highly successful competitor in policy debate and other events.
From this experience Hernandez would be inspired to begin a decorated career in marketing and sales and eventually start the Sacramento Urban Debate League for low-income, students of color where he would ultimately lead them to the Tournament of Champions. We asked him a few brief questions so that our community could get to know him a bit more. With a background like Coach Mark's we knew he was getting inspiration from somewhere. So we asked him to name his favorite speakers of all time.
When we asked what aspects of speech that seem to be the most challenging for students, he mentioned one major issue...
We were curious if Coach Mark felt that skills learned in interpretive events provided any benefit to students in other events. Could interpretation help debaters debate?
At the Golden State Academy we know tournaments can be challenging and intimidating. As tournaments are ramping up we wanted to see if he could offer advice. Coach Mark provided suggestions to students going into competitions and offered advice about research, vocabulary and current events.
We want parents and students concerned about tournaments to know that, even with a successful career in speech and debate, Coach Mark had to start somewhere. With the help of his coaches and the courage to push forward, he has made a name for himself. Some of his notable accomplishments include the East African country of Uganda consulting with Hernandez on the application of a nationwide debate curriculum as well as formatting the first ever Presidential debate. At the Golden State Academy we are committed to working with each and every student to realize their potential in speech and debate as a tool they can use to accomplish their goals. Check out more on Coach Mark as well as other award winning coaches here.  Parents can help coaches in their effort to encourage students to be proactive in practicing, in taking steps toward a successful season and even for competing in tournaments by creating a supportive environment for them at home. A great way to do this is with the power of words, affirmations and motivational quotes. Students everywhere need to be surrounded with words that encourage them and support them in facing obstacles so they are inspired to work towards their best selves. It’s important for students to face each day empowered to deal with any challenge presented in their path. Success Consciousness, a self-improvement website, notes 11 reasons why we all should be reading motivational and positive quotes. Those reasons include; to improve the day, to inspire, to prompt action, to give insight, to provide a wider perspective, to adopt positive thinking and to improve a mindset. Words are not just words, they have power. Many years ago, my family and I went out for dinner to treat ourselves to pizza ahead of a busy weekend. Upon arriving at the restaurant, we discovered it offered something very unique. Walking in it appeared to offer a typical experience for its patrons. However, this particular restaurant had a wall covered from ceiling-to-floor in inspirational quotes from around the world. Immediately you felt impacted in some way by the intention behind each word. The late great poet, civil rights activist, author and artist, Dr. Maya Angelou, understood the power in words. In 2011 media mogul, Oprah Winfrey, invited Dr. Angelou to be a guest on her show entitled, Oprah’s Master Class. There, Angelou spoke on the power that words have. “Words are things, I’m convinced. You must be careful about the words you use or the words you allow to be used in your home. I think they get on the walls... They get on the wallpaper, they get on the rugs and your upholstery and your clothes, and finally into you.” -Maya Angelou As coaches and staff at The Golden State Academy prepare to promote participation in tournaments, we understand that visuals such as vision boards, affirmations and even quote walls can be truly impactful in instilling confidence, goal setting and thus action in students. We’d like to encourage you to find space at home for motivational quotes. Below are a few examples of inspirational quotes that may encourage students to find their voice, be proactive, and enjoy the process of improving. "If I don't practice for a day I know it. If I don't practice for two days, the critics know it. If I don't practice for three days, the public knows it." -Louis Armstrong "Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use." -Ruth Gordon "Just like charity starts at home we have to start making a change from our home and society. We need to work together to make this world a better place for women." -Smriti Irani A successful competition for me is always going out there and putting 100 percent into whatever I'm doing. It's not always winning... People, I think, mistake that it's just winning. Sometimes it could be, but for me it's hitting the best sets I can, gaining confidence and having a good time and having fun." -Simone Biles "Success is a collection of problems solved. " -I.M. Pei "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change... I am changing the things I can no longer accept." -Angela Davis “It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” -Anne Frank References: Sasson, Ramez. Success Consciousness. https://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/motivation/motivational-quotes/ Bernard, Barbara. (2017) Words Are Things. Huffington Post. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/words-are-things_b_9570336 Winfrey, Oprah.(Producer). Berlinger, Joe (Producer). Oprah's Master Class. (2011, Jan. 16). https://youtu.be/nALvjShidec MT  The Golden State Academy puts award winning coaches in our classes so that students are equipped with the opportunity, the tools and the access they need to grow to their full potential. We interviewed debate coach Chris Flowers so you could get to know him a bit better and understand his connection to speech and debate. Please introduce yourself : Hi! My name is Chris Flowers. I am a former public school teacher beginning my 12th year of education in speech and debate. I have coached every debate event from Public Forum to Policy Debate. I see the value in all forms of speech and debate and truly enjoy working to help students find their voices and strengthen their arguments. If you could only say 5 words for the next 10 years what would they be? It sure is quiet here. Share your most valued achievements competing in speech and debate thus far: My most valued achievements are the ones where students suddenly get a concept in class, or when they break at a tournament for the first time. I have had several teams advance to late elimination rounds and even when major national tournaments and of course that is exciting, but the things that motivate me the most as a coach are the smaller steps unknown debaters take every day to become a better speaker, advocate and person. What made you want to coach? Ninth grade communication class. I was actually a highly UN-motivated student until that class introduced me to Forensics. The coach of my team was a special educator and was transformative to my school career and life. I was inspired by her and several other coaches to continue the tradition of transformative coaching. What aspects of speech seem to be the most challenging for students? Debate is an art not a science. It’s actually little more than a game of persuasion. So, learning to experiment, grow from mistakes and not having confidence early on can really help tremendously. New debaters especially often forget that they are around similarly experienced students and in many cases are equal in terms of talent and knowledge. The thing that sets most new debaters apart is when they can be realistic about their accomplishments, hard-working towards their goals, and confident even in those moments where they know they are improvising or just making their best guess. Debate doesn’t make much sense in abstract, and so getting over your first practice debate or competition is a major part of the learning process. What are some of your must-haves before teaching class? Diet coke, full glass of ice water, and at least one of two class pets, my puppies Chloe and Molly. Do you think interpretation could help debaters debate? Yes. Debate is a game of persuasion. Also, interpers are also presenting arguments, but in a radically different way than the debater. Besides obvious performance requirements, the only difference is speech is rhetorical while debate is dialectic. How do you encourage students to prepare for competitions? Cut cards, practice speaking drills, scout out the teams that will be there and write blocks, write, edit and practice your argument extensions and case overviews as often as you practice giving your constructive speech. What advice would you give students about research, vocabulary and current events? NPR is the place to go for current events. Google Scholar for everything else. Debate will teach you that what gets put out in major news outlets is very superficial and often polarized in the status quo. Look for those objective sources. Also, realize that the research you’re doing is about people’s actual lives. Empower yourself to do more than just debate when you find an issue that concerns you greatly. Who are your favorite speakers of all time? Barack Obama and Demosthenes Name one of your favorite speeches of all time. Probably the last debate speech I ever gave. We totally should have won that round. What do you enjoy most about coaching? Debate is so special to me because it trains people to be smarter thinkers and better speakers, but it is also a social outlet where like-minded students can befriend one another and form lifelong bonds. I love getting to be a part of that and ushering those experiences in for debaters of all experience levels and abilities. What are your favorite events to watch? Policy, LD and PF Best websites to help students research? Academia.edu, google scholar, Libgen, researchgate, sci hub, Advice for anyone nervous about speech? Nerves are completely natural, and I don’t think they ever completely go away. Being prepared won’t get rid of them either, but it will allow you to still execute the way you have rehearsed or practiced despite being nervous. When we hear about how great speech and debate is, along with the benefits of participating in it, it can often feel like hearing about the nutritional benefits of a raw vegan lifestyle. To believe any of it, we need real life examples. Bring us the proof! Naturally, we want to be certain that if we’re giving up our fried Oreos, carnitas and veggie-less meals that we’re guaranteed at 100 years old, to look and feel like we’re 18.
Similarly, in speech and debate, if we’re committing our time after school and possibly on weekends, we want to know one, where this is going, and two, will students gain critical thinking skills, the ability to express their ideas effectively and improve academically. We don’t want just any proof, we need living proof. Naturally, we feel the need to check for public figures, celebrities and athletes for extra confirmation. Look no further, we have proof! In this article we are turning the spotlight on a few well known professionals in the apex of their careers, including celebrities and public figures that are embracing what they've gained from their experience in speech and debate and showing us all, the diversity in what’s possible. Some names include, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, actor, Chadwick Boseman, best selling author, Celeste Ng, and Nandini Ramakrishnan. Below are more familiar and possibly unfamiliar names. Oprah Winfrey is a media mogul, actress, activist, entrepreneur and living legend. Her work includes many amazing things including opening the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa. The National Speech and Debate Association alumni website sheds light on figures like Winfrey and quotes her as saying, “forensics gives you a sense of confidence in speaking in front of people, a sense of presence, and a sense of pride. It’s about the power of words to influence ideas, to uncover a higher truth, to change minds, and for a lot of people, even to change lives.” BD Wong, a talented actor, a Lincoln High School alum, and Bay Area native. Wong began his Broadway debut in 1988. He truly has been paving the way as the only Broadway actor to earn The Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Theater World Award for the same performance, M. Butterfly! His work includes Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mulan and Mulan II. Neal Katyal was an accomplished high school debater for Loyola Academy (IL) and Dartmouth College (NH). Currently he is a partner with Hogan Lovells, the Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and former Acting Solicitor General for the United States. According to the NSDA website, he also broke Thurgood Marshall’s 50-year-old record to become the minority lawyer with the most oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court. Some of his accomplishments include lead counsel for the Guantanamo Bay detainees in the Supreme Court case Hamdan V. Rumsfeld 2006. Brittany Cooper who competed in speech and also debate is now a writer and public speaker using her talents to uplift communities. Her experience has taken her to Rutgers University where she is a professor in Gender Studies and Africana Studies. NSDA quotes her saying, “The debate team was the first place I fit, the first place that my loud-mouth, yet slightly introverted Black girl self, felt included, seen, and sure of myself. I became a professor because I wanted to engage in the kinds of intellectual inquiry, and indeed to examine the kinds of critical thought—feminism and critical race theory—that I first learned to love while cutting cards and writing frontlines for Policy Debate.” Kalen Allen from Sumner Academy in Kansas competed in Dramatic Interpretation. Kalen would go on to study at Temple University. He is a Digital Creator who is best known for his work on The Ellen Show and originally on ‘Kalen Reacts’ Youtube show where he is seen reacting and reviewing cooking videos. He is also a strong advocate in the LGBTQ community. NSDA quotes him as saying, “The best part about competing in speech and debate was being able to tell the stories I wanted to tell. But it was the freedom of expression and creativity in performing those pieces on a competitive level that strengthened my artistry while providing discipline." Check out some of the incredible people that have been students of high school and college level speech and debate programs throughout the United States. Read here about the path they’ve taken. We hope you can see the possibilities with our program. Check out our amazing programs today! Sources NSDA Speech and Debate Alumni https://www.speechanddebate.org/alumni/ #speechanddebate #thegoldenstateacademy #forensics #publicspeaking #benefitsofspeechanddebate #speechanddebatecareer There are a number of reasons why debaters should consider interpretation events. Structure is not enough. It’s just not. How many times have we seen a United States President, for example, interviewed or participate in a well planned debate and knew exactly what they were going to say? We knew the issues they’d discuss and the words they’d frequently use. We could anticipate if the speech would provide new information or if it would simply restate what we already knew.
When an argument is being made, an introduction, the attention grabbing device, examples and the conclusion are important. The preview of what will be stated is a great addition as well. Hand gestures play a part in shaping a speech. But, what makes you stand out amongst other speakers equipped with structure in their speeches just like you do? If you’re not competing but want to be remembered, interpretation helps with offering something unexpected in non-interpretive speech events. Interpretation helps students build emotionalization skills to the point that adding gestures and voice inflections to a speech becomes instinctual. Using your own emotion in authentic ways as tools to connect with the audience creates a connection. With the use of personality, humor, emotion or authenticity the message has a greater impact. The audience is able to connect and relate to the person delivering it. Think of your comfort level as an icebreaker standing between you getting your audience engaged. Increased levels of comfort suggest that the speaker’s fear has been removed to some degree and the audience and speaker have a committed level of interaction. The use of expressions is not something that should be used without intention. It’s not enough to raise your eyebrows a few times and show a few corny smiles. An audience can be keen to authenticity. Expressions have impact, if they are used in authentic ways. During tournaments, 6 competitors may face each other in final rounds for Impromptu. One competitor may stand out more than the others because of their use of these tools. They may use expressions and emotions in a way that make sense. They don't force them. They were natural, gradual and authentic to what is being expressed. These expressions may be timely so that they become impactful to the audience. The use of silence is also a great tool. In fact, silence is used every day by friends, enemies, parents and in business. The use of silence can heighten the message by empowering actions or statements made pre or post the silence. Silence can also increase the passion and intention behind a message. It can be used to express empathy, anger, humor, sadness and even time. It doesn’t matter if a student that normally competes in debate goes for Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation or Oratorical Interpretation. Each offers a chance for them to learn tools that can help get closer to their audience and have an impact on them as well. The benefits of getting this experience would help empower competitors so that they can be remembered when it matters most. These days families seem more distracted than ever. When you go to a restaurant you can find many members of a family gathered at the table with their attention focused on their electronic devices. Connections are now being made by sharing posts on social media or in group texts. Whether it’s in the summer or during the winter it’s important for families to find ways to bond and create memories. Family debates are a great way for that to happen. Turning it into a gathering, keeping in mind CDC guidelines, of course, helps make a scheduled debate not feel like a chore. Below are a few tips to make your debate party come alive.
Pick a date! Pick a date that works for everyone and send an invite. An invite makes it official. Use cool images like memes from past presidential debates or movie posters. Send topics ahead of time so people can be prepared. Encourage them to prepare. Ensure CDC Recommended COVID-19 guidelines Be sure to take notice of the CDC guidelines for safety protocols on food, social distancing and masks. Have masks, tissues, hand sanitizer (with 60% alcohol) available. Easy to read signage is helpful at entrances, in the kitchen and bathrooms and in any languages that make the information accessible to your guests. Safe Snacking tips! Plan delicious goodies because nothing brings people together like food. Packaged snacks and bottled drinks keep things safe but there are other ways to maintain safety and make it fun. Pre-prepped and individually bagged meals by vendors make it easy for you. Make it Stress Free!
note following. Family or fr-amily (friends that are family) debates help people come together and create memories. Explore Debate Topics Below: Tik Tok deters kids from going to college. Parents should be forced to have one “yes” day a month. Violent games should be programmed by the manufacturer to be accessible only 2 hours a day. Cuban food shortages were caused by the US. Colleges should offer free classes or masters programs for students unemployed 1 year after graduating. Teachers should receive the same pay as doctors. It should be legal for parents to coordinate fight clubs for their children as early as elementary school. Reading skills are more important than math. Smart watches assist students in cheating on tests. Advantages to kids playing violent video games. Pros and cons of hotels housing the homeless. References https://www.5staressays.com/blog/speech-and-debate/debate-topics#b |
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