There's no debate: JMU team one of the best
The James Madison University Debate Team is one of the top collegiate
policy debate teams in the country heading into the second half of the season.
Out of 127 schools in its category, JMU is currently ranked
third by the National Debate Tournament and fifth by the Cross Examination
Debate Association. This marks the
latest in the season that the Madison debate team has been ranked this high. The team finished fifth and 12th in the nation,
respectively, last year.
The rankings are based on team members’ performances in
regional and national tournaments during the academic year. The JMU Debate Team
competes with teams from Harvard University, Northwestern University, Liberty
University, the University of Kansas and other traditional forensics powerhouses.
JMU director of debate Dr. Michael Davis attributes his
team’s success to preparation. “I preach process over product,” he said. “You
have to prepare well to win.”
Davis said varsity debaters — those with the most tournament
experience — spend 30 to 40 hours a week researching a predetermined policy topic
that will be used in tournament debates for the entire year. This year, the topic
is whether government should increase incentives or decrease regulations to
spur the use of alternative energy sources.
“Our varsity debaters do the equivalent of a master’s thesis
worth of research every semester — on top of their other coursework,” Davis
said.
The other key to the JMU Debate Team’s success is
camaraderie. Davis and his assistant coaches work hard to foster a sense of
family among team members. “Like any
family, we have our ups and downs. We win together and we lose together.”
JMU debaters are coming off strong showings at the Franklin
R. Shirley Classic at Wake Forest University as well as at the Appalachian
State University Debate Tournament.
At Wake Forest, the varsity teams of Oliver Brass (’13) and
Nick Lepp (’16) and Elyssa Miller (’14) and Jacob Bosley (’14) went 4-for-4 in
the preliminary rounds. Their records
keep them in good standing in the national rankings as they seek to qualify for
the National Debate Tournament in the spring.
At Appalachian State, Cari Rand (’15) and D.J. Spiker (’14)
made it all the way to the semifinals in their first varsity tournament of the
year as a team, eventually losing to a team from the University of
Michigan. In the novice division, the
team of Sam Kelaher and Samantha Perez also advanced to the semifinals. Perez was named the top speaker in the novice
division, while Spiker and Kalaeher were ranked fifth best individual speaker
in their respective divisions.
The JMU Debate Team will take the next month off before
beginning the stretch run to nationals in the spring.
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Dec. 5, 2012
