BCS Debate Club
Debate is a very beneficial event to try out, especially since it is both academically and socially helpful. Most students don’t know a lot about debate, besides that it involves arguing. The truth is that it’s more complicated than that. There’s research, analysis, teamwork, and critical thinking involved, which I’ll discuss in more detail soon.
What is debate?
Debate is a competitive sport that involves argument, researching, and teamwork in most cases. It differs from casual argument because it is structured and prepared for. There are four different types that we do at Bethany, including congress, LD, PF, and world schools. Congress, the typically selected type for beginners, involves a pre-written speech prepared before the debate. Then, a room with about 7-14 speakers will take turns speaking, and the group will vote on whether to approve or negate the bill or resolution.
LD (Lincoln Douglass) and PF (Public Forum) are similar, except speakers are not made aware of what side they will be on until the tournament, so they research both sides. The only main difference between PF and LD is that PF is a team of two, while LD is a solo event. World schools, on the other side of the spectrum, is a team event where groups of three to five students argue prepared or impromptu motions on global issues. It includes structured speeches, rebuttals, and points of information, emphasizing both logical argument and persuasive style.
Why join?
Debate is an important club to try out for many reasons. First of all, it helps to develop countless useful skills that you’ll need later on in your life. Since I joined debate at the beginning of my junior year, I’ve observed so much improvement in my confidence, public speaking, teamwork, research techniques, and especially critical thinking. Debate has not only helped me socially, it has also helped improve my academic skills. So if you have trouble doing research or writing essays, debate is a good activity for you. It also looks great for colleges, so think about that!
The club itself
Going back to the teamwork aspect, debate is a lot of fun! You get to make friends, play games, eat snacks, get fast food after tournaments, etc. The only downside is that you have to spend more time with Michael Yeakey and must endure his driving during bus rides (This is a joke; Michael Yeakey is great). Debate members have countless funny memories and stories from when things have gone wrong or just differed from what was expected (ex. Ethan saying that Genghis Khan is a great leader). Anyway, if you’re looking to make more friends while also getting some experience, I again recommend debate.
Along with being academically and socially beneficial, debate can also prepare you for real-world situations and careers, such as law, politics, leadership, job interviews etc. Debate meetings are also open to any high schooler (we meet in Michael Yeakey’s room after school), and the first debate meet is at Concord on October 4th. If you have any questions and are too scared of Michael to ask, you can ask any upperclassman or classmate who is in debate what to do next. Thanks for reading!