SJII vs SJI (Spar) Today!

Today SJII sparred against SJI in 1F4. And really, I can't say much more because any other thing which I write will only sound like I've memorised it from some stupid competition elsewhere (eg. "and our debaters were very nervous but with pluck, courage and wit they managed to pull through and put on a jolly good show for us")

You get my drift. But yeah, they were nervous. And we did pull through. And we did get a nice show (it's on video [but only for selected viewers {a magician never reveals his tricks of the trade}])

The motion: THW hold parents criminally liable for the crimes of their children

The winner: There isn't a winner. It's a friendly!

But maybe I can emphasise one really important thing for debates in general. If you're nervous and feel like you wanna puke, don't. In debates, really, what's the worst thing that could happen? Sure, you might feel as if you've made a fool of yourself. But are people going to remember that? They'll only remember you if you're amazingly good (what we're all aiming for when you're in this activity) or amazing bad (not what we're aiming for. Definitely).

Through going through each and every debate, you'll only become better. Debate is, when you think about it, a show. Many teams focus a lot on content. But what about style? Sometimes, we need to remember that style is weighted as equally as content. And if you're a nervous wreck out there, there's no way you're gonna score high in either. Be confident. Force yourself to be. It may sound like a lie, trying to make yourself confident when you're not. But is it really a lie when you tell make yourself believe in yourself and your case and eventually find out that you do feel much more confident? Trust me on this. I do it.

Aaaand that's the end for today's post. Except for the fact that we probably applied too late for the adjudication camp and so didn't get in. Sad. So we'll just wait till next time.

A New Year

Well welcome back to the new year debaters. We've only just started again on debate and this time with the new year we have new members and new plans.

And despite it being so early on in the year, there are already a lot of events for the debaters in the school. For the pre-IB levels we're having the Julia Gabriels in February (time to round up support) and for all those interested we have two events taking place on the 1st of Feb (which is a Sunday).

1. The Debate Association's "Intro to Debate" Camp, which costs $100
and if you're feeling a bit more adventurous (or feel as if you want something more), we have
2. The Debate Association's Adjudicator Training Session. Which is free. =)

The two events will be running concurrently and so if you're going for one, you can't go for the other. So just make sure that you haven't gotten yourself signed up for both.

There will definitely be many events for both the pre-IB and the IB levels (the older peeps will have the MIDC debates for them and other invitationals) but we need to get the news from the Debate Association or from the schools hosting these tournaments themselves first.

And for those who will be attending the closest events, namely the Debate Association's "Intro to Debate" Camp and the Debate Association's Adjudicator Training Session, I'll paste the important info for the two events.

"Intro to Debate" Camp

1. As previously announced, Debate Association (Singapore) will be conducting a two-day debate camp on Saturday 31st Jan and Sunday 1 Feb 2009 at Nanyang Girls' High School (2 Linden Drive, Singapore 288683) .

2. The camp fee will be $100 and will include lunch on both days. Payment will be by cash on the day itself (to be placed in an envelope with the student's name and school on it) or by cheque to "Debate Association (Singapore)" (with the student's name and school written on the back of the cheque.

3. The workshop will last from 8:30am to 6pm. There will be a lunch break from noon to 1pm. Lunch will be provided. Those with special dietary restrictions should indicate clearly on the registration form.

4. Students are not expected to have any background knowledge in debating, and the camp is open to all.

5. The two-day camp will cover four key areas:
a. Public Speaking
b. Constructing an Argument
c. Rebuttal
d. Introduction to Debating

6. If you would like to attend, please complete the attached form and email a completed copy to outreach@debates.org.sg (with the same subject title as this email). We require the parent's or teacher's signature on the form, so please bring the signed copy with you to the camp. For teachers who wish to register multiple students for the camp, please fill in one form per student please.

Registration will close at 1700hrs on Wednesday 28 Jan 09.


Thanks and hope to see you at the camp!

Regards,
Gaurav Keerthi
Debate Association (Singapore)

Adjudicator Training Session

1. As previously announced, Debate Association (Singapore) will be conducting a free, full-day adjudication workshop on 1 Feb 09, Sunday at Nanyang Girls' High School (2 Linden Drive).

2. The workshop will last from 9am to 6pm. There will be a lunch break from 11.30am to 1pm. Lunch will not be provided.

3. The workshop will teach adjudication from first principles. Prior debating or adjudication experience is not required. Registration is open to anyone 16 years of age and above.

4. All attendees will be evaluated at the end of the workshop, and may be called upon to act as shadow adjudicators for upcoming debate competitions.

5. A brief outline of the workshop schedule:

0900hrs - 0945hrs : First Principles of Adjudication: Persuasiveness & Role of the Adjudicator

1000hrs - 1130hrs : Watching and Discussing a Debate Video in terms of First Principles

1130hrs - 1300hrs : Lunch Break

1300hrs - 1345hrs : Technical Elements of Adjudication: Speaker & Team Roles, Time Management, and other considerations

1345hrs - 1430hrs : Use of Adjudicator Aids: The Score Sheet, How to Comment, How to Track Debates

1430hrs - 1515hrs : Commonly-Made Mistakes by Adjudicators

1530hrs - 1730hrs : Live Exhibition Debate: Discussion of How to Formulate and Deliver an Oral Adjudication

1730hrs : End

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Happy Chinese New Year everybody, and we'll get our member's list out soon.