This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at F and M chapter.
Emily Ray ’15
Hometown: Canton, Maine
Majors: Philosophy and Government
Activities: Debate, Phi Sigma Pi, Dip Dialers, .08
You are on the Debate Team and you guys have been doing phenomenal! How does it feel to win a debate? Honestly, the level of success we’ve been able to reach this year still feels unreal. I’ve been on the team since the first week of freshman year, and seeing it grow to these new heights is more than I could have imagined. Winning individual debates is always a great feeling, but coming far enough to win an entire tournament (the biggest sized one possible!!) is a feeling that I’ll absolutely never forget.
What helps you win a debate? Winning debates on our competitive circuit takes a few things: practice, clarity, and quick thinking. There is no allotted “prep time” in our style, so most of the content in the round comes off the top of your head and must be communicated eloquently and in well-formatted arguments. It’s certainly not easy, but there’s a rush that comes with having a great idea in the middle of a speech that eventually allows you to push ahead in the round.
What is your winning line? My winning line changes with each round because the topics we debate change every round, but my favorite strategy is placing the opposing team into what we call a double bind. This means finding a way to force them into choosing one of two options to advocate, both of which force them into making some helpful concession for my side.
Photo from #100happydays Challenge
I saw you completed the #100happydays. Did you find it challenging? Would you recommend it? Could you give us your favorite photo from that time or moment?
I chose to take on this mini project during my summer internship. I was getting overwhelmed with a lot of little things and hadn’t been feeling like myself for a while. By challenging myself to find something, however small, to be happy about every day, I was able to focus my energy on that instead of on the little negative things. I would definitely recommend this challenge to anyone who has been feeling like their bad days are starting to outnumber the good ones. I have a lot of different pictures that resonate with me from those 100 days, but the one that is most relevant is a picture I took of our first debate practice this year. We had so many new students come out and join the team – so exciting! Every student in that picture has remained on the team and we’ve subsequently had our best season ever!
Lastly Ben or John? John, of course!