Macken Debate and Speech Team Clean Up in New Debate Format

November 15, 2021

Using a new-to-the-team format of debate, the Macken Debate and Speech team sweep the novice policy debate field at the Joe C. Jackson hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma. 15 schools from six states competed online. Two of the three Macken Debate and Speech teams made it to novice out-rounds. After a hard-fought semifinal, both teams made it to the final round, tying for first place.

Autumn Adeyan and Katherine Trevino-Yoson, the newest Macken Debate and Speech team members, built an affirmative strategy grounded in the philosophy of Patricia Hill-Collins, and won every single time they were on the affirmative, finishing preliminary rounds with four wins and two losses. They sailed through out rounds, eventually tying for first place. Adeyan was the top novice speaker for the whole tournament. Trevino-Yoson won 3rd place novice speaker.

Demetri Papageorge and Ojaswi Sharma teamed up for the first time, earning four wins and two losses in preliminary rounds. They faced a tough semifinal round against the University of Texas San Antonio but prevailed, persuading two out of three judges that Saint Mary’s had the better arguments. This sent them to finals where they tied for first place with their teammates. Sharma won 4th place novice speaker while Papageorge placed 6th for novice speakers.

Kathy Barajas and Logan Goldstein fought hard in their preliminary rounds, winning the first two rounds before facing opponents with more experience against their arguments. They ended preliminary rounds with two wins and four losses but grew as debaters. Barajas earned 10th place novice debate with Goldstein only a half point behind her.

Policy debate is the oldest debate format consistently used in the United States. Two people from one school battle two other people from a second school using the same topic throughout the year. For the 2021-2022 debate season, the policy debate topic is “The United States Federal Government should substantially increase prohibitions on anticompetitive business practices by the private sector by at least expanding the scope of its core antitrust laws.” This style uses research and thoughtful argumentation as the students are assigned to different sides during the competition. Because of the rigor of this debate style, students have a higher threshold of experience before being considered junior varsity or open debaters. All the students appreciated the feedback of the judges which will help them in this format and others.

Members of the Macken Debate and Speech Team look forward to returning to this style of debate. The team appreciates all the help from supporters on and off Saint Mary’s campus. If you or someone you know is interested in competing with the team, please contact Coach Andrea Brown (alb11@stmarys-ca.edu).