A Guide to Entering Varsity Debate
By Julia Im, HW ‘23
As a novice, my debate life was daunting but still manageable- I focused on forming bonds with teammates, as well as learning basic argumentation. I knew going into the activity that debate (both social and academic aspects) would get very intense, but the debate community truly is a different community that takes a lot of trial and error to grow from. So, if you are in the same boat that I was once in, it’s essential to emphasize mental health and physical safety. Going to tournaments while balancing school and social life can be challenging, so here are a few tips:
1. Find a trusting adult- one amazing perk of debate is that people from all over the country stay so connected despite being physically apart, presenting numerous opportunities to bond with debaters and other coaches. Take this chance to find an adult that you can come to; I am fortunate enough to have my school coaches fulfill that role, and it really improves my debate experience. Whether I want to complain about homework or need someone to talk about personal issues with, they always ensure that I am safe and enjoy debate.
2. Don’t hesitate to try new things - the only way to overcome the fear of intimidating people in an intimidating activity is to face it head-on. The feeling of persisting through challenging situations is one like no other, and even small steps like reading a new argument in a round can be very exciting.
3. Prioritize mental health- the truth is, flying to tournaments (or at least for this year, zooming to tournaments) gets very exhausting and as a result can cause mental strain. If you feel tired or stressed, don’t force yourself to go to every single tournament. Yes, improving is important, but overworking yourself will become counterproductive long term.
4. Trust the process- shifting from a pool of mostly freshmen and sophomores to one dominated by seniors will lead to harder rounds. There will most likely be a difference in records. However, what you must realize is that you went from debating those with a similar amount of experience as you to those that could be in their 4th or 5th year of debating. Although it may be intimidating, being able to take losses as opportunities to learn (as cliché as that sounds) is the only way you can improve.
Of course, these four things won’t guarantee a perfect debate experience, but it will allow you to enjoy the fun parts of debate (like hanging out with friends in between rounds) while being safe. Remember: debate should be fun, and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice things that are precious to you to win a round.
A similar article with additional advice can be found here: https://www.girlsdebate.org/blog/2018/3/25/persisting-transitioning-from-novice