Prep Time Please!

We paced the floor of the Springfield Baptist Church. Kayla and I weren't the only ones waiting for the speech and debate results. There were hundreds of other judges, coaches, parents, siblings that paced, giggled, whispered, and played cards in that church basement in Springfield, Missouri. What seemed like an eternity later, we finally had an official to announce who would proceed o the net bracket to qualify for nationals. Everyone waited in breathless anticipation as he, Mr. J. Palen ( no relationship to vice presidential hopeful) announced each event and the competitors in them. Impromptu, Extemporaneous, Expository, Duo Interpretation, Humorous Interp, Dramatic Interp, Open Interp,Lincoln Douglas Debate. Finally, he announced our event-- team policy debate. He gave the team name and then we (audience) would give the debater's clap. ...."Buell-Buell" Clap! "Pynes-Urbanovsky" Clap! "Dowd-Wilson" Clap! "Dilley-Paul" Clap!

After the announcements of results the room erupted into a flurry of congratulations, hugs, cheers and a few disappointed sighs. Once the names were listed off we only had to wait a few minutes from the tab room for the matches. Everyone crowded around the four posting centers in the basement room and halls. Communiques were delivered by screams, shouts, hand signals, and most likely a few text messages. The church halls became populated once more with people clutching legal pads, other standing nervously in pumps and carrying the their evidence boxes.

Kayla and I were matched against the Dilley-Paul team. This was a bit of a disappointment and largely stressful (or at least for me it was). There was the realization that only one of us would make it to the next bracket. Both of our teams were from the same state and club, yet one would have to be eliminated. Not to mention that my partner and I were not communicating well together in the previous matches; or that the previous year Kayla and her partner had bean the Dilley-Paul team out of the nationals list; or that their moms and sisters were our confidantes and coaches.

Kayla and I set up our boxes and binders in the room. Kayla stood off to the side and talked low about our strategy for that round. Standing in her gray pin striped suit, Kayla was confident that we could win this round. "We argue constitutionality. Just ask some basic questions, you know how, in cross examination. I will go through and negate the case on their own principles and you will give the disadvantages. Hmm... Let's have at least five maybe even seven. Impact them; connect the disadvantages to their own life. It will be easy. Don't sweat it. If you or I do, it will translate as in confidence in our position and we both know these guys are smooth speakers. We can't let them fluster us. "

We watched the judges slowly filter in . There were five of them rather than the usual three. I recognized two as homeschool and debate mums, the other judges were from the community. When they were all assembled, they opposite team asked the judges their judging philosophy. This is not highly unusual. As practice Kayla and I try to make sure that the other team asks the question. It makes sure that we are not perceived as sucking up to the judges, we let the opposite team do that. When the judges were asked about their judging philosophy all of them something to the extent of give me evidence and connectors for the arguments'. It seemed easy enough.


The rules for outrounds and higher brackets is to let a coin toss determine who will debate which side of the resolution. Dilley- Paul won the flip and they chose affirmative. This was fine; Kayla and I would have chosen negative anyways. After the obligatory handshakes and quite prayer, Nate Paul started the round with his speech. He presented his case for the resolution that 'the united States federal government should substantially change their policy on illegal immigration.' Their viewpoint was that we should substantially change it by reversing the Plyler Versus Doe decision by the Supreme Court. This court decision granted the illegal immigrants to receive free public education and other benefits previously solely entitled to legal citizens of America.

After his speech was cross examination, this was my job to ask him questions. Kayla had nothing for me to pursue. I made up most of my questions up on the spot. At the beginning my questions were not clear and rather confusing. Even with that drawback though, Nate was able to reconstruct them and give a smooth reply/I was so disgusted and disappointed with myself.. In order to to concentrate on a heavy negative block, Kayla did not use much prep time. For her speech, Kayla had many good points and covered the entire case just as we had planned. But then when Nate(Paul) cross examined her, Kayla let a few of her points fall. Ben Dilley gave the next speech. He hardly used his notes at all and flawlessly delivered his refutation to Kayla's speech. Kayla did gain ground in cross examining him. I took quite some prep time to bring up five disadvantages of what would happen to these people not only in the education realm and how that would, in turn, affect us. Ben then gave me questions in cross examination, he kept insisting on giving my opinion. When I politely refused, he doggedly rephrased (almost) the question to say the exactly the same thing..


In the rebuttals, we faired better together. Our negative block Kayla and handled the transition and flow of arguments well. Nate gave the last affirmative response to us. His voice and mannerisms were fantastic however he failed to address several key points; solvency of plan, failure of definitions and addressing our disadvantages. I enjoyed giving that last negative speech. I felt the passion of debate and the emotions that this might be my last round come and all work together. My speech was articulate. I said what I would do, I did it and I told them what I just did/said. I ended with recapping the reasons why to vote for my team based on what had not been refuted or dropped in the previous affirmative speeches.

Dilley must have a career in politics. He is one of the few debaters I know that can stand up and look flawless after two very good negative rebuttals. Dilley was still able to pull off the Mr. Smart Debater even though he ended the round bringing up multiple 'pieces of forgotten' evidence.

After the judges left the room. the rest of the audience came up to talk with us. There weren't more than thirty of forty in that small room, but it felt good regardless. Nate's mum came up and commented to Kayla and I that she felt we gave the boys an excellent run for their money. She said to me, " Catherine, I really thought the boys had you ladies in the bucket. But it was your speech that I thought really pushed the boys to explain themselves that was an excellent speech. I just want to wish good luck to both of you!"

Those words did a lot to me. I knew my constructive speech and cross examination was not my best. I couldn't tell you how incredibly relieved I was to hear that. Mr. Wilson, Kayla's dad, came up and talked to us. "Girls, I think both of you did a very good job. Kayla you started strong, and Catherine you finished well. I think you gave the judges a decent head scratching situation when it comes to their ballot decision. I honestly can't say if I would vote for you. You made valid points but the boys are very persuasive and Ben especially made a passionate response. Because he gave the last speech his words will be the most remembered, ok? I need you to tell me that you will be ok with their decision. Regardless of the outcome. Kayla?" Kayla hesitated. "Yeah, Dad." Mr. Wilson turned to me "Catherine?" I looked at the floor for a little bit then echoed a "Yeah".Others came up and said similar things. Dilley- Paul packed up and left the room rather quickly. We didn't get to say much to them other than the standard, "good job, I enjoyed it." and the handshake. Perhaps it was just as well, we weren't on very good speaking terms with them personally. They might have thought that we were being overconfident and were 'sucking up' to them.

There was a banquet like program shortly after the round. After the banquet they would announce the winners of the round previous. The most of the ones advancing would qualify for nationals. We all went down to change into proper clothes. We were not going to the banquet in a business suit. Kayla and I as well as many other didn't think that was appropriate wear. Besides, we had been sweating and spilling drinks over the silly suits anyways. There was some entertainment made up of several small ensembles, a slide show honoring the seniors, and a selection of punch and cake. After an hour or so, everyone started getting restless again. I observed the change from the back of the smaller hall. I talked on and off with another advanced debater next to me. Even if he did change debate forms from team policy to Lincoln Douglas, he was still pretty cool.


We had another official guy from Pennsylvania region 8 announce the teams and decisions from the last speech and debate rounds. The following day teh matches would be announced. 'Buell-Buell versus Wanschura- Wanschura; 4-1 decision. Wanschura advances." Gasps ran throughout the room on that one announcement. The Wanschura team had very little experience and the Buell team were state champs in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska several years running. However, the room settled down a bit from a word from the announcer. By this time I had abandoned my small talk and went to the Paul girls table. They had done well on their other speeches and were still in the running to qualify for nationals. Rachel was concerned about our round outcome. "Would you be terribly offended if I cheered for Nate and Ben? I mean I would love for you to qualify but I also want Nate to have the change to qualify for Team policy debate at nationals." Rachel confessed to me. 'No, I wouldn't be. It's ok, you should be glad for your brother. Scream all you want, but just to warn you I will probably groan or something. Nothing against you, K?" I replied.


"....... Dilley- Paul versus Dowd-Wilson. 3-2 decision... Dilley-Paul advances." The Paul girls screamed and jumped up from the table. I audibly groaned. Rachel paused to put her hand on my shoulder and say she was sorry it didn't end the way I had hoped. She and Sarah went off to find the rest of their family to celebrate. Knowing Rachel wouldn't come back, I enthroned myself on her chair and talked with the other girls and listened to the other announcements. It wasn't too much longer for them to be done. They only had 16 total teams to announce for that round anyways.

Again the room buzzed as people moved from conversation groups and the advancing competitors. I found my carpool people and we packed things together to head back to our hotel. Was I disappointed? Yeah, a bit. However I knew that I had finished well and had no reason to be ashamed what I did. I also knew I wouldn't be carrying around an evidence box or be in a suit and that felt great advantage.