With the second nine weeks underway, the Speech and Debate team has been practicing hard for the larger tournaments yet to come.
“When starting a new season, we want to try to beat our rivals,” Tina Wisniewski, team president and a Lincoln-Douglas debate competitor, said. “Our biggest competitors are Upper St. Clair and Pine-Richland.”
On Saturday, October 26, the new speech and debate students competed for the first time at Peters Township High School.
“That competition is purely composed of novices,” Wisniewski said. “We all see our competitors for the first time and are able to come out strong.”
Wisniewski, a NASH senior who has been a member of Speech and Debate for four years, knows well how important it is for novices to build confidence.
“The new team members are prepared, and we’ve taught them a lot,” she said. “I am excited, but [being a] novice is more about having fun, and record doesn’t really matter. It’s about learning about debate.”
The returning team members are also optimistic about this season. Mihir Harinath, a returning competitor in the Congress event, is expecting success in this season.
“I am expecting a lot because we have a lot of kids and they have a lot of potential,” he said.
When it comes to competition, some seasons can be more competitive than others.
“It was really competitive last year, and we had a lot of people who went to nationals,” Harinath added. “This season the big fish have left, but the new generation is going to pose some stiff competition. The students are learning and growing, so it could be really competitive or not as competitive. We don’t really know yet.”
For the NA team, each year brings a different number of students who compete in speech events and students who compete in debate events.
“I think this season there are relatively more students doing Extemporaneous Speaking, and overall the events are a bit more balanced, which is something to look forward to,” Rishi Prasanna, an event leader for Extemp, said. “In terms of potential, there are students who are already drastically improving their speaking in preparation even before their first tournament, which shows a bright future for the event.”
Prasanna is eager to offer advice to all of his team members.
“Don’t be disappointed if you don’t do well, because you will improve with experience.,” he said. “Also, be open to different events and explore for a couple tournaments. My main event was not Extemp last year, but I discovered that it’s the right event for me only after trying it at a few tournaments.”
