THE DEBATE regionals are here! The debate team worked hard to prepare for this event, and all their perseverance and hard work, since there were 19 Lancers qualified for state. This is the most people that Granger’s has ever had go to state.
They all have helped each other study by providing one another with constructive criticism. They noted what things they were good at and what they can improve on. It really was a team effort for these Lancers. “How I prepared was working with everybody else. We would go out into the hallway, practice with each other, and communicate how we felt about each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Madisyn Burns (11) said.
Another Lancer on the debate team, Joselyn Flores (12), says that she was feeling a range of mixed emotions about this event, saying that she was happy, sad, and nervous that debate regionals were taking place.
She said that it was because the regionals were a make-or-break time for the team, and it was a really nerve-racking thing to think about. “It is a scary thing to think about because it’s the last final. It determines whether or not we go to state, and also because it marks that the end of debate is almost here. It is comforting, however, to know how far I have gotten through debate, but I’m also very sad. I had a lot of passion for debate and won’t be able to do it as much anymore,” Flores said.
She says she will continue to try and pursue this passion when senior year ends. She also says that she is going to miss the debate class since she had a lot of fun, and there are so many things she liked about it. Some of the best parts about debate, she says, was the fact that you got to meet a lot of new people while participating in it, whether these people are on Granger’s team or another team.
Flores believes debate helps a lot with building social skills and making you confident with using your own words. She also says debate helps you get over the fear of talking or starting a conversation with others.
Debate is not only limited to helping with these few things, either. Debate can look good on your college resume and give you a lot of opportunities after high school. Since most jobs tend to look for people who can speak fluently, interact well, and are able to work with other people.
Granger came first overall in I.E. (individual events) and also came second overall for both I.E. and debate events! But that’s not all the good news either; on Saturday, February 24, three students went to congress and all three of them qualified for state. There was even one region champion!
The regionals were amazing, and it was a great and enjoyable time for the Lancers that participated.
