Over the next week I'll be posting a daily update on my last week before I leave for Las Vegas. I'm leaving next Saturday to compete in the National Forensics League national debate tournament. I'm competing in Senatorial Congress, which is essentially like real Congress. We follow Parliamentary Procedure and give speeches either for or against legislations that debaters all over the country have written.
Like I said I have 7 days, and I still have about 35 speeches to do, or at least research. So far I'm done with legislation on abolishing the death penalty, abolishing the electoral college, legitimizing targeted killings, authorizing air strikes against Iran, and abolishing FEMA. But, it's crunch time. I'm a bundle of nerves and stress right now because after Congress I'm not through...
I'm also competing in expository speaking, to be honest with the intentions of getting knocked out early on. Finally I will fall into competition for impromptu speaking, my "big" event. Last year a girl from our state got 5th in impromptu and my coaches, as well as her's, say I could easily beat her, so that's the hope.
To me, this is life, and a very progressive life at that. Yes, we are just a bunch of teenagers that love public speaking, but it's more than that. We are actually concerned with what happens in the world. We are informed on the issues and are in turn informers ourselves. Once we reach Vegas we are no longer choir or football stars, we aren't the class presidents or valedictorians, and we aren't friends. Our only goal is to inform and persuade (more effectively than anyone else). This is progress, seeing kids drop all else to take up and advocate for change in our country. And you might think that no one is going to listen to a bunch of kids that think they know what they are talking about, and you may be right, people may not listen...now.
But these kids are really the leaders of tomorrow, no matter how cliche it sounds. Stars like Oprah Winfrey and Kelsey Grammer got their start in forensics. A book has been written about a real debate team (Cross-x). The truth is, people do listen and that's real progress.
Well, I've got plenty to do, stay tuned for tomorrow's update.
Road to Vegas Day 1: Crunch Time!
By vern - Posted on June 7th, 2008
That is alot of speeches. Wow i didn't know it involved that much. It is cool to hear about and it is progressive!
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
Love comments? I do too!
Yeah if you are committed to debate or speech you really don't do much else because the regular competition season is every Saturday and some Fridays from October to March, even on Christmas break. The hardest part is the research because I know exactly what I want to look up but sometimes it's really hard to find.
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Do you find it odd that you are not as strong as you once thought?
How did you do in the tournament?
I'm guessing you know now since you left the comment on my other blog...but yeah just to solidify it a little more...I had no chance in the senate (my original event) 7 from the room broke to semis...one had one NCFL's and went to finals at TOC's, another had been to semis at TOC's and 3 others had made it to semis the year before...in the end 3 from my original room made it to the top nine...but impromptu was what I knew I was really there to do
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Do you find it odd that you are not as strong as you once thought?