Tournament scrapbook - World Schools Debating Championships

WSDC 2008
12/3/08 9:53 AM
Dear WSDC community;
As you prepare to converge on Washington I find myself stuck on the
left coast and surrounded by a never ending stack of research. Now
that the draw has been released I am sure you empathize.
Unfortunately, I will not have the opportunity to see the culmination
of your work this year. It is with great regret that I announce I will
not be attending the event as one of your chief adjudicators. My
duties here have unfortunately and quite suddenly left little room for
debate.
Fortunately, I leave you in the extremely competent hands of Chief
Adjudicator Aaron Maniam who will be aided by a very gifted panel
including Chris Erksine, Claire Ryan, James Probert, Kris Ade, and
Irene McGrath. Being surrounded by people whose competence
renders me unnecessary is a very good thing.
I very much looked forward to being able to chat with you
throughout the tournament. Since I won't get to do that, here is a
wee bit of unsolicited advice. You will discuss provocative issues,
disagree with adjudicators, win some debates, and lose some others.
Nonetheless, at the end of the day, the competitive spirit gives way
to the collective one. I have enjoyed my time with this community
because of the welcoming spirit it embraces. I have lifelong friends
from the WSDC despite my brief sojourn with you. So, as you debate
to the very best of your ability also remember to take advantage of
this truly rare opportunity. I will miss the people more than any
debating I participated in during my eight years as a competitor or
ten years as a coach. As one of my students is fond of saying, people
before trophies. Have fun and best of luck.
J. J.
J.J. is a law student and a visiting assistant professor of
communication studies at Loyola Marymount University where he
also serves as a coach for the university’s growing debating
program. Before working at LMU, J. J. was a public school
teacher. In that capacity, he served as the Director of Debate for
the Southern California Debate League, a member of the
Executive Council of the California High School Speech Association
and an official for the National Forensic League.
As a debater, J.J. was a grand finalist at the World Universities
Debating Championships and a number of other national and
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