Debate Championship Delays Final Match as Students Face Canceled Flights

Just as four universities went to Dallas to play in the Final Four Women's NCAA basketball tournament, so did 38 debate teams from high schools across the country for the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL) National Championship Tournament. But unlike the college athletes, the debaters are leaving Dallas without a winner.

After four years of online tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams finally got the chance to gather in person to compete against students from across the country at Southern Methodist University.

With about 550 schools in 22 partner leagues across the country, NAUDL's mission is to advance debate education in largely underfunded urban public schools to "amplify youth voices" and "develop confidence for future success."

Nineteen of the leagues choose to send two qualifiers to the tournament, with each league having its own unique qualifying process.

After six preliminary rounds and a Sweet Sixteen-like bracket elimination, two urban debate teams remained. The finals were scheduled for Sunday evening and league organizers expected eliminated teams to sit as spectators to support the remaining debaters. But the weather had other ideas.

As the high schoolers debated inside classrooms, deadly tornadoes ripped through the South and Midwest. On Sunday, Dallas was placed under a tornado warning just as the last round was set to begin between St. Paul Central High School and Port of Los Angeles High School.

Both teams agreed to bump the finals back a few days so that St. Paul Central students could fly back to Minnesota before the incoming storms impacted their flight and left them stranded in Texas.

Jun Kwon of Port of L.A. said his team is "writing history" for its relatively new program with its first trip to the tournament finals.

"I think we paved the way for success, and I think even just qualifying [for the tournament] for the first time," he said. "Now I think [getting to the finals] sets the bar pretty high for upcoming underclassmen, but I'm proud to make the school proud."

Normally, St. Paul would have to forfeit the title. But because NAUDL had four years of experience with online debate, the teams agreed to meet for the final round over Zoom this week.

"Although it's unfortunate that the final debate had to be moved online, it was very refreshing to work with [Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League] to figure out what time and date would work best," said Jake Swede, the program director of the Minnesota Urban Debate League.

He said non-Urban Debate League tournaments are more tense and "prioritize the competitive dimension over the community cooperation." But with Urban Debate, Swede said "the conversation was about what works for both leagues and how we can make sure everyone gets home safe and on time."

That sense of camaraderie is just as important to debaters as the slew of academic and professional skills their event provides.

"We're a community of people who, at the end of the day, love each other," said Sara Sanchez, the director of programs and communications at NAUDL.

On the national circuit outside of Urban Debate, Sanchez said there is a "clash of cultures," as those tournaments include students from wealthy, well-funded, mostly white private schools.

For Alyssa Santiago, a junior at Leon Goldstein High School in Brooklyn, New York, debate is more than just a game. The debate leagues "create a sense of community" and give low-income and minority students a space to be productive and away from harmful systemic issues they face.

Coming into the tournament, students are determined to win but also to meet new people and reconnect with old friends.

"I love that we're having NAUDL in person this year," said Sheima Ben-Abdallah, Santiago's partner on the Leon Goldstein team and a NAUDL 2023 Debater of the Year finalist. "The years in which we've had it online, it was really difficult to network with other people, and meet people from other [urban debate leagues] so that we can work with and learn to support each other."

This tournament featured policy debate, a speech competition in which teams comprised of two students advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for a policy change by the U.S. federal government on an issue of national importance, according to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League.

NAUDL chooses a topic focused on artificial intelligence, biotech and cybersecurity issues within NATO, and teams switch between arguing the affirmative and negative sides throughout the year.

Debating combines literary analysis, research critical thinking, public speaking and community advocacy. Students spend hours breaking down news articles, scholarly journals and philosophical text to craft persuasive arguments that often relate to topics relevant to the students.

Because of all the information gathered, debaters tend to speak quickly to ensure all their points are outlined, taking big breaths to support the accelerated flow of their arguments and critiques.

With no scoreboards, teams do not know the outcome of the debate until the very end of the nearly 90-minute battle, when the judge discloses the winner.

Many debaters stick to a straightforward presentation of geopolitical particulars, but others adopt a more performative style that approaches the resolution from an identity-based perspective that may include subjects like colonialism or transgender and Black theory, an approach that is more boundary-pushing in the debate.

As with the style of argument, the goal for each team also differs. While some schools had their eyes on the first-place trophy, others were just happy to qualify or make connections.

Finalist Cayden Mayer is a senior at St. Paul Central High School, as well as a finalist for NAUDL's Debater of the Year. Mayer finished their first national tournament online as a semifinalist along with their partner Maren Lien. This year, their priorities are different.

"I had my competitive run last year. And this year, I'm really excited to meet a lot of the people that I debated last year," Mayer said. "There are some really cool arguments in the pool this year."

This spirit was evident during their debates. After catching their breath after delivering an argument, Mayer's tone softened as they complimented their opponent's laptop stickers and paint job on her timer while making plans to play Bananagrams when they get back to the hotel.

Mayer and Lien rode their Midwestern charm and poetic debate style all the way to the finals this year.

In the elimination rounds, debates featured more intense cross-examination and little interaction during prep time between speeches. Despite the rising tension, teams still were quick to congratulate each other on a good debate, discuss their argument style and receive constructive feedback from the judges to help improve between rounds.

"As a debater, you find that so encouraging," Ben-Abdallah said, adding that it helps debaters realize "their voice matters."

The impacts of debate go beyond the classroom and spill into their personal and professional lives.

Debate gives students a safe space to explore and challenge old ideas and present new ones. It forces them to re-examine their own biases and beliefs and respectfully and insightfully engage with those with whom they disagree.

The students of the urban debate leagues are our country's future teachers, lawyers, judges, members of Congress, social workers and local leaders.

Yes, they do talk fast—because they have a lot to say. And it's all worth hearing.

The finals will take place on Wednesday, April 5, at 7 p.m. ET and will be live streamed over Zoom.