THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM
ompeted in three back-to-back tournaments, winning the Gold Coast British Parliamentary (BP) Debates and giving several debaters the opportunity to partake in firsts of their own.
To kick off the three-week stretch, Lynn hosted the Gold Coast National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) tournament. In NPDA debates, a government team and its opposition face each other to argue facts, policies and values. Two Lynn representatives, Will Conway and Khan Oran, won first overall speaker and third overall speaker respectively. Conway’s team also placed second in the finals.
“It was a fun and enjoyable experience representing Lynn as a joint team,” said Oran, senior. “I was personally thrilled as it netted me my first ever speaker award.”
The following weekend the team traveled to Miami-Dade College to compete in the Voice Matters BP Debates, where several novice members debated for the first time. In BP debates, a total of four teams and eight speakers battled per round. Conway won first overall speaker once again, as several other Lynn debaters received top honors during the occasion.
“Competing for the first time was definitely unforgettable,” said Shasmy Daly, freshman. “It was a great learning experience. Getting the chance to participate with so many people in BP was really exciting.”
Finally, Lynn hosted and won the Gold Coast BP Debates. The Lynn team garnered numerous notable achievements, including a team victory for Conway, finalist honors and a pair of top-tier overall speaker awards. In addition, senior Julia Gordon competed without a partner for the first time in BP.
Chris Cohen, senior and debate e-board secretary, also ran tab for the event.
“Running tab is challenging because of all the moving pieces,” said Cohen. “You need to ensure that everyone debates on every side during the tournament. You have to throw in judges, most of which are coaches who are not allowed to judge their own team. With BP debate needing three judges in a room, that makes [running tab at] small tournaments a logistical nightmare.”
Though Cohen certainly felt the pressure of running tab, he successfully organized the tournament to ensure on-time, fairly matched rounds. After a hectic but fruitful three weeks, the team can finally rest and prepare for the upcoming tournament this month, the Bill Todd BP Debates at the University of Miami.
For more information about the debate team, individuals may contact Eric Hamm at rhamm@lynn.edu or attend one of the meetings held every Tuesday and Thursday at 5 p.m. in Assaf 210.
