Exeter Debate Sweeps E/A Tournament

Courtesy of @debaters.of.exeter

By LOGAN BECKERLE, KAYLEE GONG, ALEXA MOREL, and JAYDEN OH

On Sunday, Jan. 26, 16 debaters from the Daniel Webster Debate Society (DWDS) competed in the first inaugural E/a debate tournament at Phillips Academy. Both the novice and advanced divisions earned every award there was to get, sweeping the tournament. 

Lower Minnie Kim won the top advanced speaker award, and uppers Ronald Qiao and Andy Song were the first-place advanced pair. Lower Aslan Billimer won the top novice speaker award. He and lower Lake Zhou were also the first-place novice pair.

“We won every category,” lower Blakeslee Krusen said. “We won best overall. We won best novice, we won best advanced, best individual. We won everything, so that was nice.”

“Andover had some really good debaters,” Kim said. “But ultimately, I think we were just better.”

Behind the plaques and certificates has been a journey of fun and hard work. DWDS is run by seniors Joonyoung Heo, Emma Sordi, and Dhruv Nagarajan. Every Tuesday at 7 p.m., debaters file into the Assembly Hall for curriculum meetings. In the rest of the week, from Wednesday to Friday, the captains run practice rounds as an opportunity to apply what students learn on Tuesdays.

A schedule that runs four days in the week meant the debaters were well prepared for the tournament. “We didn’t do any special training for the tournament per se,” Heo said. “We thought our regular curriculum and training program were already stronger than Andover’s.”

Although this tournament was more of an informal match between two schools, as opposed to the more formal tournaments organized by the New England parliamentary league (DANEIS), the Exeter-Andover rivalry pushed debaters to perform at their best. 

Lower Victor Angeline explained how this tournament was unlike others. “I think it definitely was different because there was a rivalry,” he said. “It was also different because it was never done before. It was kind of groundbreaking in that sense. Everyone had a lot more motivation to perform well.”

“There was an emotional connection,” Song said. “It was an unofficial tournament in the sense that you couldn’t qualify for the world championship, but it had the weight of Andover attached to it. So it was different, but really meaningful.”

Along with the driving goal to beat Andover, debaters agreed that the foundation set by DWDS was what allowed them to truly excel. 

Kim praised the captains. “I think our coheads prepared us very well. Exeter emphasizes more stylistic things, such as a good introduction and structure, whereas Andover was a little bit more analytical and mostly lacked introductions,” she said.

“You have to make [your speeches] sound pretty,” Heo said. “You have to make them sound engaging. You have to be, in other words, very good at rhetoric and delivery. I think that’s why we put a lot of emphasis there. And I think that’s one of the areas where we have the edge.”

In a similar vein, Qiao pointed to rhetoric, the ability to package your arguments eloquently, as a key difference. “The Andover debaters were more technical than we were,” he said. “They were more focused on their framework. But Exeter debaters are more rhetorical.”

“I like the parliamentary style in general,” Song said. “I think it reflects debates and conversations in real life. And having a good community where everyone is enthusiastic, and wanting to pracitce with you, is really important. It’s a great community.”

Krusen agreed. “This kind of debate is such a good skill to learn, to express your thoughts eloquently,” she said. “It’s a skill you can use for the rest of your life. It’s applicable in so many different ways.”

Debaters look forward to another iteration of debate E/A next year. “It’s obviously not a Worlds qualifying competition, but if you’re looking for a friendly match, I think this is a great tournament that we can hopefully attend for many more years,” Kim said.

“I’m optimistic about having another debate E/A,” Heo said. “I think Exeter might be able to host next year, so we can switch between the two schools like our sports events. It was a great experience for all of our debaters, and I’m very grateful for everything the leadership at Andover did to put this together. They were good debaters and great sports. I’m excited to see more in the future.”