For its first tournament of the school year, the Speech and Debate Club traveled to the University of Florida to compete in the National Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament from Nov. 1–3. Over 48 teams participated, including schools from the Dominican Republic.

Junior William Salyers and his debate partner, junior Ehab El-Ahmad, finished first in the Octo bracket with a 7-1 record. Senior Edrees Saleem also had a standout performance, earning a top speaker award.

“My favorite memory was winning round after round,” Salyers said. “Each victory just fueled us to keep pushing harder. There’s always room to improve. We came close, but finishing third just means we have even more motivation to win it all next time.”

Students competed from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. with short breaks between rounds, depending on their record in the tournament.

“The semifinals were definitely the highlight of the trip, though [the] entire team performed incredibly well,” El-Ahmad said. “Especially for our first tournament. It was amazing to see everything come together and watch everyone succeed. A lot of our teammates were really excited to advance as far as they did.”

Despite their success, the tournament was not without controversy. Junior Ethan Marana said he had concerns with the judging.

“In our elimination round, we had a younger judge who seemed disengaged during the debate, even chuckling at one point,” Marana said. “I was really confident we won that round too, but unfortunately, we lost, which ended our run.”

Salyers agreed with Marana on the importance of clear judging rules.

“I do think there should be a set of guidelines for all judges to follow or some kind of evaluation to ensure they’re taking it seriously,” Salyers said. “But then again, debate is inherently subjective, so you just kind of have to be prepared for anything.”

The debate class is relatively new, established just last year, and this tournament marks its second competition. The team meets every Tuesday in Room 3-104 during Power Hour A.

“We’re always looking for more people to strengthen our team so we can keep winning together,” Salyers said. “I think debate is an excellent speech skill that can help with a lot of careers later on in life as well.”

The team will compete in the National Catholic Forensic League tournament, which is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, in Orlando, Florida. There will be a $15 registration fee that covers both food and transportation.

“I encourage anyone interested to just come by the club,” El-Ahmad said. “We’d be happy to introduce you to debate, and you can decide for yourself if competing is for you. There are different leagues, like novice [level], so don’t be intimidated — it’s all about learning at your own pace.”