The Observer, September 22, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 4
Debate team prepares for another great season
No one can argue that Case's debate team has been stepping up the competition lately.
The team has been winning arguments all over the country, and is gaming up for a competition this weekend in Atlanta at Georgia State.
Six debaters will compete at what will be one of the biggest national tournaments of the season. They will debate all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
The following weekend, the entire team will be traveling to compete at Cornell. The team is coming off a big win at their first tournament of the season, last weekend at West Virginia University.
The team has won won five varsity tournaments at the University of Notre Dame, West Virginia University, Rochester University, Miami of Ohio, and University of Miami at Florida. For the past three years, they have qualified the debate team of Dorsey and Denissen to the National Debate Tournament.
This is the equivalent of the NCAAs in basketball, said Nick Denissen, the treasurer for the team.
"In the history of Case Western we've only ever qualified two teams, one in the 50's and one in the 60's, so three times back to back to back is a big step."
Even without their current fame, team members think it's a great experience all around.
Coach Kristie Cramer has been debating since she was a freshman in high school and she's never bored.
"Each year we get a new topic to debate, so there is always something new to learn on the topic," Cramer said. "I also really enjoy the mental strategy of debate;\: trying to anticipate what arguments another team will make and trying to find new ways to beat those arguments. Debate is kind of like a mental war or writing out a very long playbook."
"Being able to travel around the country is great, it looks good on a resume for grad school or law school, and it's the best and most challenging academic game there is," said Denissen. "It's a great competitive outlet for those of use who aren't athletes."
"Debate is a great experience because it can fulfill many different goals at once," said Saptarshi Basu, the team's president. "Many of our students join our team because they're interested in learning and arguing their personal positions on current issues and events. Debate offers the best forum for students to debate the merits of anything ranging from political procedure to philosophical discussion. Debate has also turned me on to policy making. I've completely based my career goals on issues that I've been able to explore from debating."
The team will host a tournament for high school debaters from Oct. 13-16 and expects high schools from all over the state to participate.
The team meets from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesdays in Room 2 of Mather House. Interested students can e-mail Kristie Cramer at kcramer558@gmail.com or just show up to a practice.
