The Manhattan High debate team started their season strong, striking success in their first tournament of the year in Washburn Rural on Sept. 19-21.
“Washburn Rural is the largest regular season invitational tournament in the state,” debate coach William Soper said. “So the fact that we had success there is really promising.”
This year is Soper’s second year as the teacher/coach of the debate team.
“[I’ve been impressed with how] highly motivated so many of our students are, and how fast they have grown over my year and a month of being here,” Soper said.
There are two divisions for debaters that have at least one year of experience in debate, one of those is called “Debate Coaches Invitation” or “DCI.”
“That’s where experienced coaches and the former debaters are judging,” Soper said.
In the DCI, the pair of seniors Cameron Williams and Emron Streetman were 6-0 in prelims, they ended up losing on 2-1 decision. But because of their success in the tournament, the duo earned one of two bids required to make it to the Tournament of Champions.
“I consulted with some alums, and this is the first time in school history that Manhattan has gotten a team a bid to the Tournament of Champions,” Soper said.
Debaters get bids by being in either the top four or top eight, depending on the size of the tournament. Williams and Streetman will have more opportunities throughout the season to get their second bid.
“It feels really good to kind of be able to see your hard work pay off,” Streetman said.
The other division of experienced debaters is called the “Open.”
“That’s where the judges are parents or community members or people who don’t know a ton about debate,” Soper said.
In the Open, the pair of senior Ryn Barnes and junior Natalia Buffington finished 6-0 in their preliminary debates, but lost a close 2-1 decision in the Final Four. Barnes was the top-ranked speaker in a field of over 100 competitors.
“I think the team effort is probably what helps us be so successful,” Barnes said. “I’m not finding all my own evidence. I have done a bit myself, but a lot of it also comes from our other teammates, so it’s a team effort to prepare.”
The theme for debate this year is the arctic.
“So for this current semester, everyone’s going to be debating based on whether the United States federal government should significantly increase its Arctic exploration and development, which is kind of about the implications, the geopolitical ramifications of expanding into this region,” Streetman said.
The topic of the arctic provides a fun challenge.
“I think it’s a very broad topic. So it can make it difficult to prepare,” Barnes said.
Overall, the first meet for MHS was a success.
“Pretty extraordinary, given the size of the tournament and how early it is in the season,” Soper said.
