Debate Advice: Online Camp
By: Jaya Nayar
Most of my favorite debate memories are from camp, so I’m not going to sugarcoat it: online camp is obviously not ideal. With that being said, here are some positive ways to think about the situation and make the most out of camp.
Yet again, you have another reason to be grateful you don’t do a real sport (like one that involves running - ew). Debate is one of the few activities that will even be able to have a camp of any kind. Most other kinds of camps where kids meet and make their life long friends will not be able to happen at all: sports camps, scientific research camps, etc. At the very least, you will be in a lab and make memories, albeit over zoom, with like-minded people in the debate community. You might not be able to go and get ice cream together on a miserably hot day in Ann Arbor, but there are still plenty of ways to connect with the kids in your lab. Play lab poker, have a lab movie night, etc. Your instructors are going to inevitably be more lenient about how much time they let you spend goofing off because they also recognize how much this situation sucks. If you put in a little extra effort and stay awake facetiming your labbies after official lab is over, you’ll still make those lifelong friendships during summer. On the bright side, there will be more time to facetime your friends because there won’t be RAs to enforce lights out!
External to the matter of friendships, online camp will end up being hugely beneficial to many people in the debate community. Most camps are sleepaway, which means that on top of the cost of education, there is also the tremendous cost of staying in dorms and eating in the college’s facilities. Online camp will be much cheaper because there will no longer be that live-in cost. Although there are obviously still accessibility issues such as lack of a computer, lack of good wifi, etc., the lessened cost of camp will still benefit many.
Education-wise, here are some tips for how to make the most of online camp:
1. Pre-order lots of flow paper. This is a must during the debate season, but during camp many of us would find ourselves relying on the lab leaders to provide paper. Don’t forget this!!!
2. Take notes by hand. You probably already know all the studies that say you remember and process information better when taking notes by hand. However, another important note to make is that when you are receiving lectures over Zoom, it’s going to be terribly hard to take notes on your computer AND have enough space for viewing the powerpoint your instructor will provide. If you want the full benefits of the presentation, you’ll probably need to use the whole screen to view the powerpoint. This should force you to take notes by hand.
3. Just because camp is online doesn’t mean it won’t be exhausting. In fact, I find myself more exhausted by Zoom classes than regular in-person classes just because I am sitting at a computer and staring at a screen for longer. If you feel exhausted, ask your lab leaders for a break! This might entail asking them to play some game, or maybe it means you just rejoin the lab after an hour-long rest. Either way, recognize when you are exhausted and act accordingly.
4. Find ways to limit distractions. This might involve downloading an app on your computer that blocks certain websites during certain times of the day. Or maybe it just means writing on a sticky note what your end-of-the-year debate goal is and taping that to your computer.
5. Invest in a pair of blue light glasses. In-person camp already required spending tons of time on the computer. With online camp, you’ll probably spend even more time staring at a screen as you facetime friends during lunch and breaks. I have personally found blue light glasses helpful, although they don’t work for everyone. If they are not your thing, maybe try sitting outside a few days a week, for a few hours, during lecture so you aren’t totally engrossed in your screen 24/7.
Finally, here are some thoughts for each high school grade level:
Freshman: for most of you, this will be your introduction to debate! Presumably, you’re already really excited about debate if you’re willing to devote so much time in your summer to learning about how to get better at the activity. You’ll soon find that this community is extremely tight-knit, and full of people who are extraordinarily similar. You should make an active effort to reach out to people in your lab, because it is very likely these will be the same people you spend almost every weekend with for the next 4 years of your life. Get excited to become a part of this wonderful community!
Sophomores: this summer is when things start to heat up and get a little more confusing. Freshman year was about learning the basics, but the summer before sophomore year is about learning the more complicated parts of debate. How much there is to learn can be a little overwhelming, especially since debate is a community so heavily reliant on jargon. If you feel overloaded with information, make sure to talk to your lab leaders! Reach out to them and ask them for a little more help because they want to make sure you get the most out of this summer!
Juniors: this summer is about perfecting different skills. In sophomore year you probably became well-acquainted with jargon, and started to understand arguments a lot better. Now, you need to delve deep into a few subjects so you get a really good grasp on how to go for a few different arguments. Don’t spread yourself too thin trying to master everything - most of you will have already spent sophomore experimenting across a broad variety of arguments. If you can become really good at a small handful of arguments, then you will probably experience lots of success in your junior year.
Seniors: I am most sorry for you all. However, you are resilient enough, and close enough, that you’ll find ways to make memories regardless. Most of you have already made friendships that will last a lifetime, so just enjoy your time together, even if it’s not in person. Most of you will have also already found which arguments you are good at, so try experimenting with new things and add to the arguments you have already mastered. Online camp will make in-person tournaments during the year even more sweet when you finally get to see each other again.
Stay strong!