On Oct. 19, BVH’s Speech and Debate Team participated in the San Diego Imperial Valley Speech League 1A Public Forum Debate tournament hosted at BVH. Preparing since the beginning of the year, the team was excited to showcase the time and effort they had contributed to this event. In fact, they did just that, when four BVH duo teams had become undefeated by the end of the tournament and much of the rest were runner ups.
In this debate, BVH and the other San Diego County schools that attended argued over a central topic; whether or not the United States federal government should substantially expand their security infrastructure along the southern border. At the beginning of each round, each duo would receive a room number to attend and what side they would stand with, affirmative or negation. Junior and Vice-President of Debate, Audrey Oani and junior Interpretive Chair, Valentina Castruita, were among the four undefeated teams; meaning they won all four rounds. Before the next few debates, Castruita set a goal she hoped to achieve by the end of the day.
“I hope to accomplish the goal of having fun. Being able to go into each round and know that my partner and I did the best that we could and have a lot of fun during the rounds. I am not looking for wins or losses. The first team that we went against was really good and [the round] challenged us. I like those kinds of debates and I hope [that] in the next few rounds I can improve my speaking in front of the judge,” Castruita said.
As the morning passed, many teams still conjured feelings of anxiety. Being one of the first official events of the year, the pressure of winning was on. Although, President of Speech and Debate and senior, Capri Molina, ensured to keep the team excited for the event, advising them to use their nerves in their performance. As well as Molina, Advisor of Speech and Debate and English teacher, Eric Helle, spent the day conversing with his team to ease their worries.
“I try to check in with as many students and see how they are doing. As well as talk about what their goals are for the next round, encourage them, listen to the things that frustrated them and try to give them strategies on how to deal with that,” Helle said. “When little [emotional] storms come up, my job is to try to put those flames out and say, ‘It is okay, this is a learning opportunity. Do not put undue pressure on yourself, you are already doing something that is hard to do.”
Being one of the first debate competitions, many first year members hoped to be as prepared as possible. First year member and junior, Thomas Perez, was first affected by the idea that Speech and Debate was rigorous and difficult to prepare for. Although, with experience in the class he now feels that this idea is a misconception spread around BVH.
“It seems a lot more intimidating than people make it out to be. When I first joined I thought it would be a lot of work and that I would have to cover all these different speeches, but so far it has been a delightful experience,” Perez said.
The debate was deemed successful, especially for Molina. In fact, the debate got its first dose of excitement when Molina began a hype circle to ensure each one of the team’s members was ready to give it their all. She was incredibly proud of the team’s accomplishments, hoping that it was a learning experience for every member.
“Success is not defined by how you compare yourself to other people or the uncontrollable factors of a [debate] round. It really is defined by how hard you work and your willingness to become the best version of yourself.I think winning itself is a form of validation, but it should not be something that you base your mindset on, it should be a growth mindset instead,” Molina said.
By the end of the tournament, the team seemed satisfied with their results. Being scored in the top five was a huge accomplishment, that both the team and Helle were ecstatic about. Having a scrimmage with Olympian High School weeks before gave the members an edge that allowed them to perform above and beyond.
“I was really happy. I mean, happiness would be the best descriptor. We have had good years, and I would say last year in Public Forum, we were up and down. So, to have four teams go undefeated and nobody else in the league to match them, that is pretty darn good,” Helle said. “That is what we want for our Public Forum debaters. We want to maintain our reputation of being a good Public Forum school and I think that they delivered the message to the league that we are going to be reckoned with.”
With another tournament complete, the team will move onto preparing for their next event. Although given time to prepare, the Speech and Debate team puts in the quality work to ensure a wanted result. Experiencing Speech and Debate for the first time, Perez acknowledges that if he did join sooner he would have the accumulated confidence and practice like a third year member.
“I think it is a lot easier to come in as a freshman because you do not have high expectations in a sense. As a junior I should be better or at least more well rounded, which I think has turned out as expected. It does feel like I do have to live up to a certain expectation,” Perez said.
Overall, Speech and Debate is an extracurricular that takes time, dedication, hard-work and passion. Helle describes it as a track and field tournament combined with a bloodsport; having a variety of events to choose from whilst keeping yourself liable for the actions you do to prepare and succeed.
“Most students do not really go into things where there is so much accountability. In Speech and Debate, if you enter a Dramatic Interpretation or a Public Forum debate, every single team is ranked from first to last and there are judges who are evaluating you throughout the day. Most people avoid accountability because it is out of their comfort zone. What I love about Speech and Debate is [that] the students who seek out that kind of accountability are going to gain real self esteem,” Helle said.
As the team progresses, the Speech and Debate community seeks any students who hope to achieve the values the class enhances. Over the course of multiple tournaments, the team achieves more, with each individual growing into a better public speaker. Molina hopes that students will gain a better understanding of what Speech and Debate is and consider the benefits it provides.
“Everyone is welcome in our program. If you want to develop as a speaker, this is one of the best opportunities for that. It helps you become a better communicator and you are going to use those skills throughout your entire life,” Molina said. “As a leader I want to reach out to more of my community and showcase that Speech and Debate is not one of those elite programs, anyone can do it. We all have a starting point and the only reason why we grow as speakers is because we put ourselves out there. It really is about risk taking and everyone should have the opportunity to be a part of our program.”
