I miss debating. And I miss being a debater.
I love the world of debate. I love the automatic confidence I get whenever I step behind a podium carrying 7 minutes worth of ideas in a crumpled paper. I love travelling, going to different places and meeting amazing debaters from all over the country. I miss being able to say something different and to know that my message matters. (That pic above is a picture of me hosting an event. Doesn’t feel as grand and glamorous as debating. *wink)
Two weeks ago, I was supposed to go to the 13th Phil. National Debate Championship (NDC) but work got in the way. A huge client held an event for October 18, which was right smack in the middle of the tournament (October 17-24). My flights were booked 2 months ago and I was actually looking forward to going to that trip/ tournament/ mini-vacation. Sigh.
I searched the net for a copy of the motions and found this at the Global Debate site:
| Motions | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Round 1 | THBT it is legitimate for governments to require their people to be vaccinated against common diseases. |
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| Round 2 | THW prohibit universities from preferentially admitting the sons and daughters of their alumni. |
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| Round 3 | THBT the US government should not have the power to execute its citizens, who are alleged terrorists, without due process. |
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| Round 4 | THW abolish the double jeopardy rule for the previously acquitted. |
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| Round 5 | THW abandon Zion. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Round 6 | THBT financial institutions should not divulge information that may risk market stability in times of economic crisis. |
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| Round 7 | THBT social institutions should recognize and support the nature of children as sexual beings. |
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| Round 8 | THR the implementation of development models that place conditions on transfers of financial assistance to the poor. |
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| Octofinals | THS national and international bodies that govern the evolution of language. |
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| Quarterfinals | THW withdraw from Wall Street. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Semifinals | THR the sequestration of refugees in camps. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Finals | THBT in the interest of economic and geopolitic stability, the ASEAN should cede Spratlys to China. |
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| Masters Cup (Semis) | THW decriminalize murder in defense of animals | |||||||||||||||||||
| Masters Cup (Finals) | THW extend legal protection to the ugly. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Union Cup | THW remove all state benefits to the married | |||||||||||||||||||
After reading through the motions and realizing that I have no idea about 30% of the topics, I felt sad and thought about how I used to devour newspapers and magazines like TIME, Newsweek, The Economist and Foreign Policy in my sleep. Now I can’t even finish reading through the paper’s 2nd front page because it’s stressful. Then I dug old pictures from Multiply and found one happy debate picture. It wasn’t taken during the time when I won a Mindanao tournament, it was a post-training drinking session. Those were the days.
Aside from our hole-in-the-wall bar days, I also miss glamming up on championship nights. Here’s an old pic I love as well:
(^Wish I can have this body back!)
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In other news, Ateneo Debate Varsity, the official debate and public speaking varsity of the Ateneo de Davao University is opening its doors to talented and hardworking (AKA deserving) individuals who want to join the team…and years of stellar legacy.
So if you think you deserve to be part of this great team, attend the general assembly on Nov. 11, 2011, at F400 (3:40PM). And oh, I forgot you have to be A. Enrolled in Ateneo, B. an alumni of the school or C. a 3rd party financer. Haha.
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Heads up for more tournaments for 2012. Come February, the 25th Mindanao Parliamentary Debate Championship will be in Butuan and the PIDC (Philippine Inter Collegiate Debate Championship), summer, is gonna be in UP Diliman. There’s a Visayas-Mindanao Debate Championship slated on July too, and rumors say Cebu is gunning to host this event. You better get your teams ready, it’s going to be a tough year. More and more Mindanao schools are shining in National tournaments as well.
For Mindanao schools who are interested to cross-train with Ateneo Debate Varsity, don’t hesitate to contact the ADV president, Paolo Cansino at this number: 0923 273 6655.
The Ateneo Debate Varsity is home to numerous Mindanao champions and nationally acclaimed debaters. It is said to be the best and most progressive debate club outside NCR. Go to the General Assembly and see for yourself. You’d never know one room could have so many champions and champions-in-the-making at the same fuckin time. See you! 🙂
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By the way, I forgot to ask: are you a debater too? Or, were you one? What is your fondest debate memory? 🙂
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