Nate Verny ’25 hosted an online international debate tournament for Arguments Across the Americas (AAA), a debate organization which he founded, Aug. 10 to 11. High school students from 15 countries, including Germany, Brazil, Taiwan, the Philippines, Canada and India participated in the tournament.
Verny said he founded AAA to provide debate opportunities for students from all backgrounds and to meet students from across the world.
“We’re a unique organization in that we fill a glaring hole: inaccessibility in the debate space,” Verny said. “We say no matter where you’re from, no matter your English abilities or debate experience, come practice and we’ll meet you where you are, helping in the best way we can. We’ve fostered such a wholesome community. I’m good friends with kids I never would have talked to from countries I barely know.”
Liv Kriger ’25, who judged at the tournament, said she used her experience as a debater to make more careful decisions.
“The main difference is being in the position to choose which points of clash I weigh more heavily in the round and having to make the final decision,” Kriger said. “Despite this difference, being a debater for many years informed my ability to judge because, as both a competitor and judge, you must be able to see the round development as a whole and identify how each side evolved and collapsed their offense.”
Verny said it was difficult to manage the tournament because of the large number of competitors, many of whom were international.
“Setting up this tournament was incredibly challenging, as we had to recruit judges, but thankfully we reached out to the American debate community and got a bunch of experienced high schoolers to volunteer their weekends and judge for free,” Verny said. “However, far more challenging was managing the tournament, where we had to keep track of speaker points and team records, make pairings and monitor rounds. Being an international organization made the job harder, as we were working across nearly 10 different time zones. People had spotty Wi-Fi connections and differing English language abilities.”
Esther Goldman ’26, a participant in AAA tournaments, said the program allowed her to forge new connections with students worldwide.
“AAA is an amazing organization that truly connects debaters from around the world,” Goldman said. “I am so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to hear different perspectives and help facilitate the experience for so many young debaters.”
Verny said the tournament showed the importance of debating and provided a platform for students to connect and engage in discussions about world affairs.
“Debate is an invaluable activity,” Verny said. “Our ability to have conversations and disagree is vital for problem-solving. Moreover, in a time where we’re increasingly facing global issues, be it climate change, pandemics or even potentially AI, creating connections across borders and cultures is vital to break down barriers to the essential dialogue we need.”
