TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

None Can Debate He's Among Best

ADVERTISEMENT

By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 26, 2008

Updated: 01/24/2008 09:12 pm

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Elliot Stein clutched a digital timer in his hands and stepped backward, like a baseball player winding up for a pitch. With a deep breath, he shifted his weight forward and unleashed a stream of words at the speed of an auctioneer.

He can speak up to 600 words a minute while he is debating. Although his argument is almost unintelligible to a casual listener - beyond an occasional "sub-Saharan," "interpretation" and one "I don't know where he does his math" - his debate coach follows along, giving suggestions at the end.

It's a form of debate far different from leisurely, conversational presidential debates on television. Policy debate, the specialty of Stein, 17, and his teammates at Berkeley Preparatory School, requires months spent building expertise and arguments.

Stein's skills have landed him among some of the top teen debaters in the United States. The University of Kentucky selected him and nine other high school juniors in the country to serve as fellows at the university's summer debate institute.

Kentucky, the site of a prestigious annual debate tournament each spring, hosts a three-week summer institute for high school debaters. Students learn critical thinking and communications skills from professors and experienced debaters, and they conduct research.

As a fellow, Stein will give lectures to other students, conduct preliminary research and measure whether arguments are viable.

"It's both a learning experience for yourself and others," he said.

Berkeley teacher Mike Speer, who directs the debate team, expects Stein's leadership role this summer to improve his skills.

"The process of teaching other people to do something is extraordinarily powerful," Speer said.

Berkeley's debate team formed four years ago. Sixty students have participated during the school year, but three two-member teams have represented the private school at the major tournaments.

The students, five juniors and one sophomore, travel throughout the United States and Florida for competitions run by the National Forensics League, National Catholic Forensic League and National Debate Coaches Association, among others. They haul beat-up bins of accordion files containing arguments and counter arguments and stuff timers into their backpacks for practice.

Tournaments focus on one main topic per year, with each team finding a specific angle to argue. This year, it is public health assistance to sub-Saharan Africa. The next school year will involve alternative energy debates.

"The coolest thing is they give you the topic way ahead of time," said 17-year-old Brian Shim, Stein's debate partner.

The two spent last summer in a seven-week camp in Michigan, studying the Africa topic so they were prepared to begin debating when they returned to school in fall. Summer debate camps are important, Speer said, because they give students plenty of time for research.

Debate teams estimate their participants do research equivalent in amount to a graduate student working on his or her master's degree. That's tough when balancing Advanced Placement classes during the school year, Speer said, which makes the summertime study crucial.

Students also have to stay up on current events to avoid making outdated arguments. They also share information online and study other schools' strategies.

It's like having their football playbooks, Stein said. But Speer said knowing arguments does not guarantee success - look at the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi. Everyone knew the plays the Packers would run, he said, and Lombardi's team remained dominant.

"Knowing what play you're going to run is only a little bit of the battle," Speer said.

THE GREAT DEBATERS
Berkeley Preparatory School has three top teams that compete in most of the state and national debate tournaments. All are juniors except for Matthew Murphy, a sophomore. The team members are:

Brian Shim, Odessa, and Elliot Stein, Largo

Leigh Ann Humphries and Katya Leonov, both of South Tampa

Matthew Murphy, Belleair, and Alicia Smart, Palm Harbor

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT