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GROVE CITY COLLEGE DEBATERS TO COMPETE IN BOTSWANA |
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December 16, 2010
GROVE CITY, Pa. – Four members of the Grove City College Speech and Debate Team have been invited to compete in the World Universities Debating Championships, held this year in Botswana, Africa. The eight-day tournament attracts top debaters and enthusiasts from around the globe to compete and celebrate their communities together.
Seniors Daniel Hanson of Danville, N.H.; Alex Pepper of Centreville, Va.; and Dayne Batten of Cary, N.C., as well as junior Walter “Kirby” Gowen IV of Livermore, Calif., will compete in the tournament at the University of Botswana, in the capital city of Gaborone, from Dec. 27 to Jan. 3. Grove City College, in its second appearance in the World Championships, will constitute two of the 40 teams from the United States. Nearly 300 total judges from throughout the world will score the competition.
Luke Juday ’10, who represented the College in the 2010 Worlds, held in Antalya, Turkey, will assist in tournament operations, such as management of finances and checking registration, for the University of Gaborone. Juday, awarded a Fulbright Full Grant in April, is working in Botswana to develop new debating programs, while conducting independent research on the role debate plays in training future leaders. The research seeks to determine if competitive debate can serve as a form of civil discourse in African democracy.
The world debate format proceeds through a series of eight seven-minute speeches as each team presents its side while simultaneously refuting the other speakers in the room. Throughout the debate, any of the debaters in the round can question the speaker presenting his or her case; it is customary for each speaker to take two to three questions. At the debate’s conclusion, each of the four teams is ranked in terms of how well their position was supported.
The tournament progresses through nine preliminary rounds that are “power-paired.” As the rounds continue, winning teams are paired against each other, and teams that lose debate other teams which have lost. After the preliminary rounds, 32 teams are placed into the championship bracket, and in each round that follows, two teams lose and two teams advance. All teams are required to debate in English, although many competing teams speak English as a secondary language.
The tournament has been held annually since 1981 at a variety of locations, and it is the largest debate tournament in the world. Rankings are based on world debate performance.
Dr. Steven Jones, associate professor of sociology, advises the team. Jones will also serve as a judge while in Botswana.
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