Excitement for the new semester has swiftly spread among students. Like all the students who are trying to adapt to their new academic schedules, Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Speech and Debate team has been practicing tremendously for their 2023 tournaments. On Jan. 21, Gabrielino High School hosted the Spring Varsity Debate tournament, attended by 13 Southern California Debate League member schools. It’s no surprise that the Speech and Debate team continued their success at Spring Varsity Debate.

This tournament consisted of five different types of debates: Congressional Debate (Congress), Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD), Parliamentary Debate (Parli), Policy Debate, and Public Forum Debate (PF).

Each debate round’s schedule was different depending on the time requirements of the specific debate type. Despite the difficulty of waking up early to attend a full-day tournament, each competitor is expected to compete in at least three preliminary rounds to advance to the finals. However, the six members of AHS’ Speech and Debate team who participated all advanced to their finals round, resulting in a huge success.

Four members from AHS’ Speech and Debate team participated in Parli. Similar to how the British Parliament works, competitors act as representatives advocating for or against a certain motion. In Parli, there are two constructive speeches and one rebuttal speech for each team. Constructive speeches last for eight minutes except for the first affirmative constructive which requires seven minutes. Usually in the second constructive, speakers start to debunk points from the opposition team. And the rebuttal lasts four minutes and five minutes, respectively, starting from the negation side, in which speakers usually summarize the most important points that they think will outperform their opponents.

Juniors Euan Laru-An and Merjan Khwajazada partnered to compete in Parli, winning 3rd place overall. Laru-An considered this tournament to be valuable and educational, claiming to be “in disbelief” when acknowledging his marvelous achievement.

“Seeing as Parliamentary Debate isn’t my main event, I woke up expecting it to be another trophyless tournament,” stated Laru-An. “However, throughout the day, I felt myself gradually feeling more confident, as our competitors were very friendly and helpful by giving us advice. Sure, the win is the highlight, but the learning experience is what sticks with me. After all, it’s what will make a better speaker, not the trophy.”

Different from Parli, participants of Congress debate bills and resolutions and act as members of the U.S. Congress. Sophomore William Pan, who advanced to finals, specifically expressed his appreciation towards the effort AHS’ Speech and Debate team and officers have put into the lengthy preparation.

“The Arcadia [Speech and Debate team] Officers gave great preparation and guidance for the tournament,” said Pan. “Their consistent Congress round simulations during class gave me insight to the tournament; I knew exactly what to expect in my rounds.”

Besides Parli and Congress, LD debate features a one-on-one debate, in which logical reasoning and philosophy are generally given a lot of weight in this style. Sophomore Ashley Lim did a remarkable job competing in LD, placing 8th overall.  

One of the Speech and Debate Officers, senior Sarah Chao, reflected that the team performed “extremely well,” seeing that the team is “more specialized in speech rather than debate.”

“We gave it our all, and the effort definitely paid off [by] placing in Parliamentary Debate and Lincoln Douglas Debate,” stated Chao.

Congratulations to the entire team for all the successes they have accomplished so far, and best of luck in future tournaments!   

Photos courtesy of Merjan Khwajazada