10 More Things I Love About Speech and Debate

At the beginning of the year, I wrote a post called "10 Things I Love About Speech and Debate." Now it's the end of the year. I have trophies, I have a huge amount of ballots, I've done parli, I've made friends. And now I'm writing a sequel. Because I can. So ha.

10. Winning Lots of Trophies

This was number ten in the original post, too. Only this time I actually have trophies. It's not as great as some people make it out to be, but it is pretty fun. They're a representation of how hard we've worked. They look pretty on the shelf. But more importantly, you can sometimes eat ice-cream out of them. I still need to do that...

9. Having Lots of Ballots

I have all of my speech ballots from this year in one folder. They're over an inch thick. If you spread them all out it looks like a rainbow. I've competed in five speech events this year, so there are a lot of colors and a lot of papers. And lots of good comments about how to improve too, but, you know, colors!

8. Becoming Friends with People I Just Debated

The heat of the round, the pressure of CX, the intense penguin analogies. With all the back and forth argumentation in the round, it's hard to imagine becoming tournament buddies with the people who just told the judge not to vote affirmative. But then you start talking after the round, and you realize the people you just debated are actually really awesome, and then you become friends.

7. Hotel Breakfasts

I know what you're thinking. Hotel breakfasts are nasty. They are. But the people you eat them with are not. Staying at the same hotel as your friends is pretty much the best. You're all downstairs, in the lobby, eating undercooked waffles and weird banana-blueberry muffins, counting down to the weather, and basically trying not to fall asleep in our chairs.

6.  Nice Judges

The ones who cry in your speeches. The ones who give you awesome critique. The ones who rank you first. The ones who smile and nod and are attentive. They're the greatest and I just want to hug them and shake their hands and thank them for being so awesome. 

5.  Getting People to Watch My Rounds

I always do better when people come to watch my speeches. Sometimes I have to drag people in (I mean that literally), but it's always worth it to get them to watch it. Also, I like watching other people's speeches. On Youtube. I'm totally not a stalker. I swear. I mean, it's not like I ever sit outside people's competition rooms and listen to their speeches. Ever.

4. Speech and Debate Camp

After the shock of seeing all my tournament friends wearing normal clothing, I always have an amazing time at camp. The lectures, the meals, the candy getting sling-shotted at us from across the room. It's all pretty great. But best of all, I get to see my friends who I usually only see during tournament season.

3. Tournaments

This one is pretty broad, but it needs to be said. Tournaments themselves are really awesome. The exhaustion, the stress, the excitement, the fun. All of it. It wouldn't be a tournament without all the ups and downs, the wait for meals, the inside jokes and, you know, the competition.

2. Debate Jokes

Whether it's resolution puns or postings, debate jokes way less funny than we think they are. If someone says, 'that's debatable', we all (or at least I) start laughing, even if it's fake laughter. And whenever they mention HI and we all break out into feigned laughter. Everyone who hates that joke needs to find their sense of humor.

1. My Awesome CHSADK Friends

My friends are pretty amazing. Whether it's speech, debate, or just being themselves, they're all fantastic, and I'm super lucky to have such awesome people in my life. The inside jokes, weird games we play, excited greetings, awkward side-hugs. The excitement and disappointment during breaks and the awards ceremony. Even if I just met them in a debate round, I love you guys. <3

Vote affirmative, because you love speech and debate too. (Because why would you read to the end of the post if you didn't?) Plus, also, it's my birthday- just so you know.

Tournament Withdraw: The Struggle is Real

It has been a month since the last tournament I went to. This is, obviously, far too long. Our club meetings have been very small these past few weeks. (Now we know what other clubs feel like when they meet. O.o) Some are busily preparing for NITOC. Some are busily preparing for next year. Some are moping in their rooms because they didn't qualify. Some are scrolling Facebook mindlessly waiting for speech and debate camps.

I'm sitting here, with a lack of blog post material because I haven't been to a tournament in four weeks. I have a tournament next week, but it's really small and only two days, and I'm not freaking out about it because I have both of my remained prepared speeches memorized waaaaay better than the back of my hand (who has the back of their hand memorized, anyway?). (Don't worry mom/dad. I'll practice like a good child.) Sometimes, I like to close my eyes and think of what it'll be like when tournaments do come. (Don't worry, I'm not about to break into an In Summer parody. Maybe later.)

So I write in my book and I read books and I watch Once Upon a Time and I watch TLC wedding shows and then I stay up late (not intentionally) thinking about the deeper things in life, and asking the important questions, such as (but not limited to) 'what is the meaning of life?' 'What do people have against impromptu?' 'Why did I put on two different colored socks this morning?' 'How OUAT find so many attractive men to be in the show?' 'When will season three of OUAT be on Netflix?'

And I sit around watching movies with mom. And sometimes I wish I were at a tournament. Hanging out with my amazing friends, giving speeches, talking about fish and oil and parametrics, eating gross tournament food, writing speech and debate parodies with my friends, hoping that people will come and watch my duo.

But it's the hanging out with friends that I miss the most. I mean, there's club, but now hardly anyone comes, and there's Frisbee and parties and workshops. But it's not the same. It's not spending 2-4 days with the bestest people ever. It's not eating meals together. It's not watching your friend's rounds. It's not the the excitement when a friend breaks. It's not the sadness when the tournament ends. It's not the exhaustion during the ballot party.

There's something special about tournaments. We're all at the same place for a number of days and we can't seem to get away from each other and there's something about that that I miss. Sure, tournaments are stressful and nerve-wracking, and sometimes heartbreaking. And, not gonna lie, I miss it all.

But I'll survive. I'll stalk people on Facebook and G+. I'll see people at club. I'll see people outside of club. I may not see some people until speech and debate camp. I'll write blogposts about other things (okay, probably not that). I'll read, I'll write. And one day, one magical day (next week) I'll go to a tournament and tournament just as hard ever. And I'll thank God for all the days in between, because those are special too, just in a different way. After all, if days were special in the same way, they would be special.

And while you wait for the next tournament, you can go ahead and vote affirmative, because you know you're experiencing tournament withdraw too (or you will be soon. Why must summer come so soon?).

Let It Flow

(To the tune of 'Let It Go' from Disney's Frozen.)

The negative team brought up great arguments, but we know how to respond
A speech full of solvency args, but they don't stand at all
The round keeps going with no certain end in sight
Here we are at last, in the 2AR

'Don't pass this case, it's not solvent. Their harms aren't significant at all.
Keep the status quo, their plan won't work'
Well, it does work!

Let it flow, let it flow!
Neg can't win this round anymore
Let it flow, let it flow!
Don't keep the status quo
Our plan meets their topicality
Vote affirmative
DA's never bothered me anyway

It's funny how the 2A makes arguments seem small
And the DA's that they've brought up, they aren't unique at all
It's time to pass an aff ballot, to enact our mandates so we can
Break tonight, to the finals round
We win this round!

Let it flow! Let it flow!
Their arguments do not stand
Let it flow! Let it flow!
As this round comes to an end
Pass our plan, and vote for the rez
Vote affirmative

The solvency args really don't apply at all
The topicality press, you can see it falls
They dropped the advantages from the 1AC
Our plan benefits you, don't keep the status quo!

Let it flow! Let it flow!
And we'll break to the finals round
Let it flow! Let it flow!
We've won, I'm sure you've found
Our plan will fix the status quo
Vote affirmative!
The flow never bothered me anyway.