{"id":950,"date":"2026-04-10T10:38:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T14:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writopialab.org\/writopiaspeaks\/?p=950"},"modified":"2026-04-10T15:02:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:02:45","slug":"my-first-debate-tournament-as-specialty-programs-coordinator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writopialab.org\/writopiaspeaks\/my-first-debate-tournament-as-specialty-programs-coordinator\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising to the Occasion at My First Debate Tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Imani Parker, Specialty Programs Coordinator<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 14th, 2026, thirteen Writopia debaters bravely logged onto Zoom to take part in an abbreviated World Schools Style debate tournament alongside our partners at Debate Spaces<\/a>. They competed internationally, going up against debaters from different parts of the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was my first tournament as Writopia Lab\u2019s Specialty Programs Coordinator and I was excited to see firsthand how our debaters would implement the skills they have worked on in their debate workshops. In preparation for the tournament, I sent out a study guide that assisted debaters with formulating their thoughts and considering common arguments for each motion, and I had been able to observe some of them in action in their respective workshops. I witnessed as they did their research and pieced together their arguments and I was impressed, both in workshop and on the day of the tournament, with how they approached the motions, and by their willingness to put themselves and their thoughts out there for all to see. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bounced between breakout rooms and glimpsed parts of their speeches, their POIs, and their replies. There were many achievements in this tournament. Teams Writopia UWS, Writopia Cathedral, and Writopia Nation won two rounds, an admirable feat. Writopia Slope competed well and won one round. Two of our debaters, Norah Schwaber and Evelyn Williams, stood out as two of the Top Novice Speakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am proud of each and every one of the participants. It isn\u2019t easy to summon the courage and confidence that it takes to compete in a debate tournament, but these debaters did it anyway. They prepared, participated, articulated themselves, and rose to the occasion. I can\u2019t wait to see what they do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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