Five students cleared to eliminations round, and three debaters received speaker awards and reached the quarterfinals of the National Coaches’ Debate Association Tournament April 12-15 in Atlanta.
Spencer Paul ’19 dropped in the final round on a 3-0 decision. After his successful tournament, Paul said that he and his teammates are already looking toward the Tournament of Champions, the biggest national tournament of the year, and facing off against their rivals from Greenhill School in Dallas.
“Reaching the finals of NDCA was incredible for me given that it is one of the largest tournaments of the year, but it’s always a bit frustrating to not win it all,” Paul said. “Getting there a couple days early to prepare and get in the right mental state was instrumental in my success. I’m looking forward to TOC because it will be the last and largest tournament of the year.”
The tournament happens in a different place each year to guarantee the entry pool varies.
“NDCA having a rotating location makes it an interesting tournament to attend every year since the experience there differs so much year-to-year,” Matthew Gross ’19 said. “The debaters, type of arguments and almost everything else depends on where the tournament is held.”