The initial look on Oakwood TBL’s faces is a puzzled one.
Oakwood “TBL” (each group of Oakwood debaters is named by the first initials of the team members’ last names)—Sylvie, Avalon, and Willa—are atop the stage at Mt. San Antonio College, dressed in black and red, cheeks totally flushed from their sixth debate that day—and aren’t quite sure what’s going on. John Meany, the guru and creator of the International Parliamentary Debate program, had just told the audience that TBL’s opponents would be awarded second place in the Regionals Public Final, and thus the three boys from Colina opposite the girls rose to accept their trophies. TBL takes it in a second, and then it hits them. They are getting first. They grab each other by the arms and their flushed faces strain to comprehend the hugeness of their accomplishment. They have just won Regionals. The stage is then stormed by the entire debate team, and, while the PA announcer keeps chirping “Please stay off the stage,” Oakwood students dance and wrestle with each other—a perfect Oakwood-esque ending to a long and historic day.
While Oakwood TBL went 6-0, they were not alone in what turned out to be the greatest Nationals/Regionals performance in Oakwood history. The NBB team, Jade, Otis, and Elle—three speakers, by the way, that did not even start debating until January—went 5-0. HHN, Amelia, Zoe, and Oscar went 5-0. KRP, Morgan, Lukas, and Logan, went 5-0. And SSG, Scarlett, Kiana, and Miles, and MBG, Laila, Katie, and Gus went 4-1. Along with the efforts of rising star 7th graders Maggie, Bea, and Angie, this meant that Oakwood School won 30 of 36 matches. At Nationals. Against the Best of the Wild West. Total Domination. What I have suspected all along about this team and this program, I can now say with empirical backing:
We are the best at what we do.
So, how do we do it?
“It takes determination, willingness to work hard, willingness to take precious time away from your day, willingness to take criticism, and a certain amount of skill.”
Zoe ’23
“To be a good debater, it takes a lot of work, determination, passion, and dedication. The only way to improve is to try harder and put every piece of effort into it.”
Angie ’24
“It takes dedication, passion, time, and a whole lot of enthusiasm.”
Sylvie ’23
Determination comes up a lot. When I hear them say this, I think of them researching both sides of six new topics during Spring Break and the four weeks before the tournament, while completing the homework from their academic classes. I think of them showing up to practice sweaty and in a sports uniform because they’ve just come from the gym and are then transitioning to being public speakers. I think of their vulnerability in front of an intimidating high school judge who gives them honest criticism publicly. I think of the nervousness they deal with on five Saturday mornings a year, about to face the competition and be told they win or lose on the spot and, again, publicly. I think of their 60 practices, dozens of hours of research at home, and the 40 hours of tournament time. This is not a required class; this will not go on their college applications; this will not be on their resumes.
But it changes who they are as people.
Ask any veteran debater about their first time debating in front of a judge. They will first roll their eyes, say “Oh my god,” or blush because they are shy about how they once were compared to what they are now. The arc of development in a debater is an astounding example of growth that I will never get tired of witnessing. Gains in confidence, eloquence, and an ability to see through the garbage barrage of media claims are skills that will last a lifetime.
The Saturday after Regionals we barely got to catch our breath as we had to compete at the Golden State Debate League Championship. And again, Oakwood dominated the field. By landing 4 of the top 5 positions at the Championship, Oakwood then completed a season in which they took 60% of the top 5 spots at the four tournaments they entered.
I am just about out of superlatives to convey to you what this means. For example, in two of these tournaments, we competed against over forty schools and 120 three-person teams. All of them wanting and dreaming of finishing, just once, that high. To take that portion of the top 5 positions is something I have never seen before in my 10 plus years of debate. It defies luck, logic, and human error. That day NBB again went 4-0, as did TBL and MBG. KRP lost once.
And, in another first in our history, Oakwood TBL completed the season without having lost a single competitive debate. 24-0. Huh?
What does it take to do that?
“Okay I’m going to give this a try…. Sure, being a good speaker is good and being naturally talented is great too but if you don’t put lots of hard work and determination into your work then I don’t think you can become the best debater you can be. Also something that is crucial to being a good debater is having an open mindset and being flexible.”
Jade ’23
“To be a great debater, you have to not only rely on your speech, but rely on yourself, your team, and your knowledge of the topic. You have to be able to think on your feet, take risks, and size up situations. You need a compelling speech with lots of statistics and a persuasive speaking style.”
Ava ’24
“What it really takes is dedication to be a great debater. You are constantly faced with stress and pressure about writing speeches in time or finding a good way to refute the opposing team’s points. But if you stay dedicated you always seem to push through and do it.”
Avalon ’23
All debaters have to face this. Dean, Andrew, Jo, and Natalie. All having to push through the ups and downs to better themselves.
The 7th graders also made their mark at Oaks Christian. In setting the tone for next year, Augie manned both the first and third speaker roles and argued for a total of 40 minutes over four rounds. His middle partner, Sebastian, continued to develop his persuasive, urgent speaking style, and they had an admirable 2-2 day. Team BLS, Leni, Chloe, and Dylan, also had a very successful day and are all primed for a great 2019-2020 campaign. Team AKS, Ava, Zev, and Wes, made their mark with a striking 5th place overall finish, and Zev and Wes placed impressively in the top ten of individual speakers.
Oakwood MBG, Laila, Katie, and Gus, finished first overall last Saturday but lost the Public Final. Losing for them is an experience they had only once that year, so it was tough for them. I saw Gus at the back of the hall, with his eyes red. I went up to him and said that the one thing he is not allowed to do is walk out of Oaks Christian with his head down. He mustered a nod and joined his jubilant teammates. Gus, like his teammates, has raised the debate bar to another astounding level. No easy task here at the Oakwood Middle School Debate Program.
And that’s something to keep your head up when times are tough.
Indeed, no one did it better in 2019.
Go, Oakwood.
