Texas’ debate season has commenced as August slowly fades into September’s autumn colors. Students from all over Texas participate in weekly tournaments where they dress up in their most polished clothing and show off their hard work after weeks of preparation.
Whether it be speech events like Oratory and Extemporaneous or debate events like Congress and Public Forum, competition is at the forefront of every tournament where competitors are vying to break to finals or obtain school sweepstakes. Often, only a select group of well-funded schools dominate these positions, while less-known schools are overshadowed by their developing debate programs—something Emerson’s team experienced first-hand.
“It was tough since we didn’t have any experienced team members to help us out, and we were dealing with many budgetary restrictions. Schools like Plano West attended more tournaments, which meant they got more practice and opportunities locally and nationally,” Junior Aditi Bhuvanesh said. Unfortunately for the team, those disparities made tournament placements and opportunities few and far between.
However, Emerson’s Speech and Debate team is breaking through the “small school” stereotypes this year. Along with district interests recently aligning with FISD debate programs and new student interest, membership shot up from thirteen members to thirty in one year. “More attention and interest is being shown by the district itself to speech and debate, which I think is great since it’s something that’s been overshadowed for a while and it’s important for people to recognize its benefits” President of Speech and Debate Mahathi Hariharan said.
As of this moment, the team is preparing for Grapevine from September 8th-9th, one of Texas’ largest debate tournaments. The atmosphere is electric with novices and returning members practicing their speeches, debating, and forging a tight-knit community. Above all, the team is rapidly expanding and making a name for itself in FISD. Their rigorous tournament schedule and larger group make for a dominant program this upcoming debate season, establishing them as the circuit’s newest Speech and Debate force.
