The first time I heard about this club was back in 8th grade, when a few high school students came to Sinaloa Middle School to give a presentation on why we should join the Speech and Debate team. I was interested and wanted to learn more, so I went to the icebreaker/informational meeting during the summer before the start of 9th grade. There, I learned a lot about how I could develop public speaking skills, but more importantly, I realized that it would be something I'd enjoy.
Looking back, I definitely made the right decision. I'm a Varsity debater in Parliamentary debate, and a member of the National Speech and Debate Association with the degree of Distinction. Over the course of nearly twenty tournaments, we've debated topics ranging from climate change to up-and-coming politicians to space travel, as out of this world as that may sound! My friends and I have gone to numerous Bay Area high schools and renowned campuses like Stanford, UC Berkeley, and University of the Pacific as part of our debate tournaments. It's not only about debating in the rounds, but the camaraderie I have built with my team mates, be it eating pizza at 12 in the night, exploring university campuses, and playing plenty of frisbee in between debate rounds. These make it an entertaining and unforgettable experience as a whole. Being part of this club is something that I would recommend to anyone at San Marin who has time on their hands and enjoys public speaking.
The club is mostly student-led, which means that most of the instruction during team meetings and workshops falls on the shoulder of the club leadership. As of the 2018-19 school year, I'm one of the co-presidents, along with Carina Masters, and alongside Taylor Boothe (Vice President) and Tyler Colenbrander (Team Captain), we run the weekly workshops for our club! My main responsibility is to lead the returning JV and Varsity students during practices, whether it's through running practice debates or giving brief presentations on new skills we've picked up at tournaments. I'm really looking forward to another year of debating with my partner, Tyler, in the Bay Area and beyond. Please visit our club website here, or our Facebook page here!
Our Record: 69-47 overall
Looking back, I definitely made the right decision. I'm a Varsity debater in Parliamentary debate, and a member of the National Speech and Debate Association with the degree of Distinction. Over the course of nearly twenty tournaments, we've debated topics ranging from climate change to up-and-coming politicians to space travel, as out of this world as that may sound! My friends and I have gone to numerous Bay Area high schools and renowned campuses like Stanford, UC Berkeley, and University of the Pacific as part of our debate tournaments. It's not only about debating in the rounds, but the camaraderie I have built with my team mates, be it eating pizza at 12 in the night, exploring university campuses, and playing plenty of frisbee in between debate rounds. These make it an entertaining and unforgettable experience as a whole. Being part of this club is something that I would recommend to anyone at San Marin who has time on their hands and enjoys public speaking.
The club is mostly student-led, which means that most of the instruction during team meetings and workshops falls on the shoulder of the club leadership. As of the 2018-19 school year, I'm one of the co-presidents, along with Carina Masters, and alongside Taylor Boothe (Vice President) and Tyler Colenbrander (Team Captain), we run the weekly workshops for our club! My main responsibility is to lead the returning JV and Varsity students during practices, whether it's through running practice debates or giving brief presentations on new skills we've picked up at tournaments. I'm really looking forward to another year of debating with my partner, Tyler, in the Bay Area and beyond. Please visit our club website here, or our Facebook page here!
Our Record: 69-47 overall
2015 Straight from the Horse's Mouth at Northgate High School.
-September 12, 2015.
-Novice
-Record: 4-1: 3rd overall in Novice division, 2nd in individual speaker points
2015 GGSA Parli @ James Logan High School
-September 26, 2015.
-Novice
-Record: 2-2: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-par1sc1/info.aspz
Jon Schamber Invitational 2015 at University of the Pacific
-October 30, 2015 to November 1, 2015.
-Novice
-Overall Record: 8-1: Results: http://www.speechwire.com/r-tournament.php?tournid=3849
-We came in 1st place, winning the tournament in our division! I also placed fifth in individual speaker points.
-We moved up to Junior Varsity
2015 GGSA Parli 2 @ Monte Vista High School
-November 7, 2015.
-Junior Varsity
-Record: 3-1: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-par2sc2/2015/
-We moved up to Varsity
2015 Frozen Banana Classic Parli @ Analy High School
-December 6, 2015.
-Open Division (JV and Varsity combined)
-Record: 2-1: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/analy-dec/2015/results1.htm
2016 GGSA Parli 3 @ San Ramon Vally HS
-January 6, 2016.
-Varsity
-Record: 1-3: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-ldpar/2016/
2016 Stanford Invitational
-January 16 and 17, 2016.
-Novice
-Overall Record: 4-2: Results: www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/fields.mhtml?tourn_id=4131&event_id=40225
-Reached double-octafinal elimination rounds
2016 Windsor Invitational
-February 20, 2016.
-Open Division
-Record: 2-2
2016 State Quals
-February 27, 2016.
-Open Division
-Record: 1-3
2016 Santa Clara Invitational
-April 2 and 3, 2016.
-Varsity
-Overall Record: 4-2: Results: www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/fields.mhtml?tourn_id=5024&event_id=44968
-Reached octafinal elimination rounds
2016 GGSA Parli 1 @ Lowell High School
-October 9, 2016.
-Varsity
-Record: 1-2: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-parli/2016/
Jon Schamber Invitational 2016 at University of the Pacific
-October 28 to 30, 2016.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-2: Results: https://www.speechwire.com/r-tournament.php?tournid=5077
2016 GGSA Parli 2
-November 5, 2016.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-0: Results: www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-par2sc2/2016/
2017 MLK Invitational at James Logan High School
-January 13 to 15, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-2: Results: www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/jameslogan/2017/
2017 Stanford Invitational
-February 11 to 13, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-3: Results: www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/event_results.mhtml?tourn_id=6364&result_id=38639
2017 State Quals
-February 24 and 25, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 2-2: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-debqual/2017/
2017 GGSA Parli 1
-September 16, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 2-1: Results: http://www.ggsa.org/results/2017-18
-If above link doesn't work: drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzDib8wc18BtLWprQUg0SXVOR2s
2017 Berkeley Parli Invitational
-October 14, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-2: Results: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/event_results.mhtml?tourn_id=7624&result_id=46299
2017 GGSA Parli 2
- November 4, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-0: Results: https://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-par2sc2/2017/index.htm
2018 Stanford Invitational
-February 10 and 11, 2018.
-Varsity
-Overall Record: 4-3: Results: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/event_results.mhtml?tourn_id=8879&result_id=60159
-Reach triple-octafinal elimination rounds
2018 State Quals
-March 3, 2018.
-Open
-Record: 2-2: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-debqual/2018/pstandings2.htm
2018 Santa Clara Invitational
-March 23 to March 24, 2018.
-Open Division
-Record: 2-3: Results: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/ranked_list.mhtml?event_id=78657&tourn_id=9286
2018 GGSA Parli 1
-September 15, 2018.
-Varsity
-Record: 2-1: Results: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/round_results.mhtml?tourn_id=10781&round_id=346280
2018 Cal Parli Invitational
-October 6 and 7, 2018.
-Varsity
-Preliminary Record: 3-2: Results: www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/ranked_list.mhtml?event_id=87358&tourn_id=10095
-We won our first two elimination rounds, ultimately reaching the quarterfinals. Overall record: 5-3.
-September 12, 2015.
-Novice
-Record: 4-1: 3rd overall in Novice division, 2nd in individual speaker points
2015 GGSA Parli @ James Logan High School
-September 26, 2015.
-Novice
-Record: 2-2: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-par1sc1/info.aspz
Jon Schamber Invitational 2015 at University of the Pacific
-October 30, 2015 to November 1, 2015.
-Novice
-Overall Record: 8-1: Results: http://www.speechwire.com/r-tournament.php?tournid=3849
-We came in 1st place, winning the tournament in our division! I also placed fifth in individual speaker points.
-We moved up to Junior Varsity
2015 GGSA Parli 2 @ Monte Vista High School
-November 7, 2015.
-Junior Varsity
-Record: 3-1: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-par2sc2/2015/
-We moved up to Varsity
2015 Frozen Banana Classic Parli @ Analy High School
-December 6, 2015.
-Open Division (JV and Varsity combined)
-Record: 2-1: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/analy-dec/2015/results1.htm
2016 GGSA Parli 3 @ San Ramon Vally HS
-January 6, 2016.
-Varsity
-Record: 1-3: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-ldpar/2016/
2016 Stanford Invitational
-January 16 and 17, 2016.
-Novice
-Overall Record: 4-2: Results: www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/fields.mhtml?tourn_id=4131&event_id=40225
-Reached double-octafinal elimination rounds
2016 Windsor Invitational
-February 20, 2016.
-Open Division
-Record: 2-2
2016 State Quals
-February 27, 2016.
-Open Division
-Record: 1-3
2016 Santa Clara Invitational
-April 2 and 3, 2016.
-Varsity
-Overall Record: 4-2: Results: www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/fields.mhtml?tourn_id=5024&event_id=44968
-Reached octafinal elimination rounds
2016 GGSA Parli 1 @ Lowell High School
-October 9, 2016.
-Varsity
-Record: 1-2: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-parli/2016/
Jon Schamber Invitational 2016 at University of the Pacific
-October 28 to 30, 2016.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-2: Results: https://www.speechwire.com/r-tournament.php?tournid=5077
2016 GGSA Parli 2
-November 5, 2016.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-0: Results: www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-par2sc2/2016/
2017 MLK Invitational at James Logan High School
-January 13 to 15, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-2: Results: www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/jameslogan/2017/
2017 Stanford Invitational
-February 11 to 13, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-3: Results: www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/event_results.mhtml?tourn_id=6364&result_id=38639
2017 State Quals
-February 24 and 25, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 2-2: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-debqual/2017/
2017 GGSA Parli 1
-September 16, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 2-1: Results: http://www.ggsa.org/results/2017-18
-If above link doesn't work: drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzDib8wc18BtLWprQUg0SXVOR2s
2017 Berkeley Parli Invitational
-October 14, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-2: Results: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/event_results.mhtml?tourn_id=7624&result_id=46299
2017 GGSA Parli 2
- November 4, 2017.
-Varsity
-Record: 3-0: Results: https://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-par2sc2/2017/index.htm
2018 Stanford Invitational
-February 10 and 11, 2018.
-Varsity
-Overall Record: 4-3: Results: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/event_results.mhtml?tourn_id=8879&result_id=60159
-Reach triple-octafinal elimination rounds
2018 State Quals
-March 3, 2018.
-Open
-Record: 2-2: Results: http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/ggsa-debqual/2018/pstandings2.htm
2018 Santa Clara Invitational
-March 23 to March 24, 2018.
-Open Division
-Record: 2-3: Results: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/ranked_list.mhtml?event_id=78657&tourn_id=9286
2018 GGSA Parli 1
-September 15, 2018.
-Varsity
-Record: 2-1: Results: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/round_results.mhtml?tourn_id=10781&round_id=346280
2018 Cal Parli Invitational
-October 6 and 7, 2018.
-Varsity
-Preliminary Record: 3-2: Results: www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/results/ranked_list.mhtml?event_id=87358&tourn_id=10095
-We won our first two elimination rounds, ultimately reaching the quarterfinals. Overall record: 5-3.
Here, you can see a group of debaters in their natural habitat, tossing around a frisbee in between rounds at the State Qualifications tournament at James Logan High School. Photo courtesy of San Marin Speech and Debate Facebook.