Fun - Gift Guide
A Very Merry Gift Guide: Debater Edition
By Jasmine Stidham, Teacher and Coach at Harvard-Westlake and Assistant Coach at Dartmouth College
If you are like me, you most likely have plenty of last-minute holiday shopping to complete and are still in need of ideas. While I can’t tell you what to get your random second cousin from Maine that you only see once a year, I can help you find a few gifts for the debater or coach in your life. So, instead of giving your coach another box of candies (which we still do love, btw), consider choosing from our recommendations below. These would also make awesome gifts for birthdays, teacher appreciation days, end-of-year team celebrations, and more. Happy debating, and happy holidays from Girls Debate!
The Almighty Tabletote:
A cult favorite of all debaters, across all formats. Give the gift of not having to use a random chair in a classroom as a makeshift stand. These aren’t always in stock, so if you are in need, I highly recommend grabbing one while you can. P.S. you don’t really need the version with the cupholder.
Link to purchase:
Hydro Flask:
I am now a true believer in the Hydro Flask hype. These water bottles are remarkable and trendy. They are a bit pricey, but from every review I’ve read they are worth every penny. You can buy directly from the site, or you can find them at other retailers like Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, REI, and more.
Link to purchase:
Stickers for Hydro Flask:
This is a no-brainer. If you are going to buy a Hydro Flask, or a similar water bottle, you need to properly adorn your new purchase with unique stickers so that everyone knows you have a personality. I recommend buying stickers from Etsy. You are directly supporting independent artists and there are so many to choose from.
Link to purchase:
https://www.etsy.com/search?q=stickers%20for%20hydroflask&ref=auto-1&as_prefix=stickers
Custom Timers:
Most camps include timers in their swag bags, but not everyone is able to attend camp. Sometimes you just lose your timer. Fear not, for you can buy those timers you see everyone carrying around from camps! Plus, you can customize them! You could include someone’s team code, a coach’s name, or something equally wholesome in your customization.
Link to purchase:
Pens:
Duh. Everyone needs new pens. I’m sure this will spark a huge flame war over which pens are god-tier, but I will always go back to ole reliable, the Pilot G-2.
Link to purchase:
Ergonomic Mouse:
Not to be dramatic, but this mouse changed my life, cleared my skin, and made me better at debate. Okay maybe it didn’t accomplish all of those things, however, it is still amazing and everyone needs one. I actually learned about this mouse at camp a few summers ago when I saw a student using it. It stood out because it looks like a shark. I tried it using it and was hooked. I couldn’t get to my Amazon Prime account fast enough. This mouse is so comfortable it makes long tournament days bearable. It’s wireless, fairly cheap, and lightweight.
Link to purchase:
The Scotty P Mouse:
Since Scott is way cooler than me, he uses a gaming mouse. Because I am basically an 80-year-old grandma trapped in a 25-year-old’s body, I have never been able to get the hang of a gaming mouse. Perhaps it’s because I have always been awful at video games and forget what the buttons on a PS4 controller do. Anyways, these are excellent for card-cutting efficiency because you can use the programmable macros with Verbatim. It makes cutting cards 10x faster than doing it my way, which is to individually click on every macro in the Verbatim toolbar. I think this is where I’m supposed to say, “Get off my lawn!” The Razer Naga option that Scotty uses is kind of expensive, but time is money when it comes to card-cutting and one of these bad boys will save you a lot of time.
Link to purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Naga-Trinity-Optical-Interchangeable/dp/B0788MCRGC
Other options:
Journal Subscriptions:
I can’t tell if this wins the Nerdiest Gift Award, but it’s definitely up there. Most debaters have probably experienced this: you are doing research and come across an article title that looks really promising, annnnnnd it’s blocked by a paywall. Before a bunch of you try to explain to me what an incognito window is, yes those sometimes work, but not always. If you don’t have access to Lexis, you are essentially out of luck. Giving the gift of a journal/newspaper subscription is the perfect way to say, “Hey, go cut some cards already.” The best options, in my opinion, include: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Diplomat, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Economist. You can go directly to those sites and purchase annual subscriptions.
Laptop Screen Cleaner:
This may not be the gift your friend or coach wants, but it is the gift they desperately need. The laptop screen of any given debater is bound to be icky and full of germs. You know when you’re sitting in an area prepping and the natural light hits your screen so perfectly that you can see the evidence of pure filth right in front of you? That’s the saliva you produced during prelims, kiddo. Okay, enough of gross stuff. I’ve included a link to life-saving product that everyone needs during tournaments. A friend introduced me to Grime Wipes a few summers ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. These are cheap and effective. They come in individually wrapped wipes, which means they are incredibly convenient. Buy these, germ monsters!
Link to purchase:
Portable Phone Charger:
“Hey, do you have an iPhone charger I could use?”
“What percent are you on?”
“Has anyone seen my charger?”
“I left my charger at the hotel.”
“This time I left my charger at the tournament.”
“Is there a free outlet somewhere so I could charge my phone?”
I hear these quotes at any given tournament. Buying a portable phone charger won’t solve the problem of you leaving your stuff everywhere, but it’s still a useful item to have in your technology arsenal. This makes it infinitely easier to charge your phones on the drives to and from the tournament. Plus, you don’t have to deal with the Hunger Games: Minimal Outlets edition when you’re trying to fight off a group of tiny children for using an outlet to play Fortnite.
Link to purchase:
Flash Drive:
This is another no-brainer. Even though kids these days don’t primarily rely on flash drives anymore, everyone should still carry one when the Wiki and internet eventually crashes at the annual Greenhill-GSU Armageddon. Investing in a good flash drive is a smart purchase and might save you in a debate where the internet is down and the judge is annoyed that everything is running behind. Be the kid who knows how to use a flash drive efficiently. Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Link to purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/USB-Flash-Drives-Storage-Add-Ons/b?ie=UTF8&node=3151491
Happy Holidays!