Adelphi last round

The scrimmage is drawing to a close. Over 35 people turned up for the debates today, which really impressed me. New York City World’s debate is coming together as a powerful family. The motion for this last debate, which is what these debaters here are prepping, is this house would arm journalists. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Round 2: Adelphi Scrimmage

The scrimmage has grown to three rooms and more people are coming. Some have agreed to sit out debating in order to practice giving adjudications. Round 2: this House would put sin taxes on tabloids. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Scrimmages

On Thursday we innaugurated a new year od debate scrimmages with The King’s College in Manhattan. We meet up usually about every two weeks and try to have as many practices as possible at once. We’ve been doing this for almost four years now, and it is easily one of my favorite debate activities of the year. I think meeting for an event that mimics competition without all of the elements of a competition hones and revitalizes students that get a bit halcyon in their approach to practice, debating the same teams with the same judges week after week. Debating someone from another institution puts you on alert due to the unfamiliarity and newness of the round. It also gives you a chance to debate against those not from your “school,” as it would be termed in martial arts, and confront a different style. This helps you fall out of bad, tired, and familiar habits that you pick up debating people from your institution all the time. I encourage everyone to add it to your practice. Tomorrow morning we head to Adelphi University to do it again, this time with a whole day of practice debates for all experience levels. There will be opportunities for adjudication practice as well – something that should be sen as central to the development of great debating strategy. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry