The Saskatchewan Elocution and Debate Association (SEDA) hosted Tournament 3 in the southern region. The debate, drawing Yorkton and Regina, brought together kids to have a debate on the theme of sports.
Janessa Weir with SEDA explains that it is an impromptu debate tournament, meaning that while kids know the theme of the event, they do not know the specific topics until thirty minutes before the debate itself.
The challenge for the kids is being able to quickly think critically, Weir explains, because beyond speaking they must also be able to build a case and respond to questions in a limited amount of time.
“Some people look at it and say it’s just about speaking, but it’s not. It’s about whether they can build an argument, they’re able to deconstruct the other team’s case, they can take questions on the fly.”
Weir explains that the kids that take debate put in many hours of practice each week, about six to eight hours a week for some of the older students.
“This is what they want to do, they live and breathe debate.”
Debate is something that influences the way kids think and influence the way they approach the world. Geoffrey Buerger, executive director of SEDA, says that these kids are more engaged in the world around them, and are better able to appreciate the value of dissenting opinions, since they might have to argue for a side they do not necessarily agree with.
“For many of these kids, standing up and speaking is a lot easier than sharing an argument, building a case corroboratively and then responding to another team. There are listening skills, analytical skills, the development of respectful dissent and cooperative construction of an argument and dividing the spoils. It really is the whole package... It’s really difficult to imagine a better preparation for adult citizenry than debate.”
Yorkton is traditionally one of the powerhouses for debate in the province, according to Buerger, so bringing the competition to the school is a way to reconnect with a strong debate program.
“Saskatchewan produces some pretty fine debaters, in fact this year it was a Saskatchewan kid who was the top debater in Canada... He was the fifth best speaker in the world. We talk about Yorkton, historically, being one of the giants in debate, that’s a pretty high standard for schools anywhere. We are really pleased to see the program back in this school, and look at the kids in Yorkton Regional competing, they’ve gotten better, better and better.”
Buerger says the friends kids make during the event will stay with them for their entire lives. He knows this from experience, as he has friends from his own first debate, which involved the reelection of Richard Nixon.
