For the first time since Covid-19, the Barstow debate team went to an in-person tournament.
From November 5th to 7th, the Barstow debate team competed at Kansas City Community College. KCKCC was the first in-person tournament the debate team had been to since February of 2020, and the Barstow teams were very successful at the tournament. Novice team Margo Gonzales (‘25) and Mahek Vora (‘25) won the tournament in their division. Novices Ava Adams-Huang (‘25) and Haddie Shedler (‘25) finished third overall in their division, and varsity members Jayden Sampat (‘24) and Matthew Gill (‘24) finished 2-4 in varsity prelims.
Gonzales ‘25 and Vora ‘25 stated, “It [KCKCC] was definitely an interesting experience. It was very fun, educational, and new. Getting in-person coaching and being able to see the debate with your opponents as well was very nice. Our favorite part was the period of rest between quarter finals and finals. It was very nice, and that’s what debate is about, interacting with other teams. It was completely mind-ogling, we got an adrenaline rush.”
Online tournaments introduced many new challenges to debaters. Not being able to interact with opponents, partners, and coaches makes debating much more difficult. These added obstacles can add a lot of stress to debaters attempting to prepare for a round.
An in-person debate tournament marks the start of a return to normalcy in the midst of Covid-19. With KCKCC, along with various other debate tournaments that have been in-person across the country, online debate may soon become a thing of the past. Each successful tournament proves that in-person debates are a viable option for the year. As a result, debaters who joined the team in the midst of Covid-19 no longer have to be deprived of the benefits of in-person tournaments.
The Barstow debate team has had a very successful year thus far at tournaments. Tournaments the team has attended include JW Patterson, St. Marks Heart of Texas, and Iowa Caucus. The debate team has now won the entirety of a tournament in one division at KCKCC and JW Patterson. Thanks to coaching from head coach Gabe Cook, assistant coach Lucia Scott, and coaches outside of Barstow, as well as team support and determination, the Barstow debate team has seen an incredibly successful year thus far. This amount of success so soon in the season provides great hope for the future of the team.
On the difference between in-person and online tournaments, Gonzales ‘25 and Vora ‘25 believe, “Interactions with other people makes the [debate] environment much more relaxed, you don’t see that as much online.” For many debaters, including Gonzales and Vora, KCKCC was their first in-person debate tournament ever. Needless to say, these debaters certainly adjusted well.
KCKCC shows how in-person debate tournaments prove successful not only when it comes to the team’s performance, but also in accommodation with Covid-19. Everyone who attended was able to debate, coach, and judge while following Covid-19 regulations. Gonzales ‘25, Vora ‘25, Adams-Huang ‘25, and Shedler ‘25 represented the Barstow debate team extremely well in the novice division with Sampat ‘24 and Gill ‘24 representing the team in the varsity division.
