The Saskatchewan Elocution and Debate Association hosted a tournament at Yorkton Regional High School, bringing together students from Yorkton and Regina to debate sports questions.
Thomas Lowe and Gillian Leach from Luther College High School in Regina were the winners of the open category.
Lowe says that success comes down to the work you put into it, saying that his team puts in a lot of prep work going into debating.
“If you really want to do well in anything like a debate tournament, it really depends on your commitment. I know Gillian and I have been working hard and doing lots of research.”
Leach gives credit to the teamwork between the two of them. The team has been debating together for two years, and have learned how to work to help the other.
“I think we’ve really grown as a team. Some of the places where I’m not so good, Thomas has learned to help me out, and some of the places where he falls I help him out.”
Teams have thirty minutes to prepare for each topic, which they do not know before the start of the event. Leach believes that while they don’t know the specific questions being asked, they keep up on current events in order to be prepared for whatever is thrown at the teams.
“Often the debates are really relatable to current events, so I can walk into a debate, even if it’s impromptu, having a lot of knowledge in general and having a lot of examples to draw from.”
Leach says that she can see the benefits of debate first hand in her own life. While recognized as one of the top speakers in her category, she admits that this wasn’t always the case.
“When I was younger I was a terrible, terrible public speaker, and debate has really build my presentation skills. I think that is a really big personal achievement for me.”
Competition improves the breed, as the saying goes, and Lowe says that he gives credit to the competitions in the past for doing well this time around.
“This is probably the best I’ve ever done in a tournament, and I can definitely say past tournaments have helped a lot, the feedback helped us do well in the future.”
Lowe says that for him, debate is how he expresses himself creatively. He might not be an artist, he says, but through debate he is able to express himself and learn more about his own personality. Leach, meanwhile, believes it’s the chance to tackle tough topics that makes debate something she enjoys.
“I personally really like discussing lots of the issues that are brought up in debate, such as morality and social issues, but I find that when you talk to people about those issues they get personally involved and sometimes friendships can break because of these personal opinions. I enjoy debate because it brings up these topics and give you a chance to speak about them without that involvement.”
Both Lowe and Leach know that the skills learned in debate will follow them through their lives. Leach believes that the better public speaking skills have already helped him in other activities that he is involved in, while Leach says that it is improving her writing as well because debate “really makes you reconsider what you’re saying.”
