Vanderbilt’s debate team competed in the British Parliamentary Debate event at the International Forensics Association’s International Speech and Debate Tournament in Dublin, Ireland, over spring break. Seniors Daniel Ardity and Maya Reddy, juniors Ainsley Gill and Zacarias Negron and coaches John Koch and M.L. Sandoz attended the tournament, and Gill and Negron won first place as a team of two.
In the British Parliamentary format, four teams compete across multiple rounds where they are presented with a topic. Two teams are assigned to debate in favor of the topic while the other two debate against it, and the teams are provided with 15 minutes to prepare an argument without knowing the topic beforehand.
“While this can sound intimidating at first, impromptu debate encourages us to think quickly on our feet, rapidly develops our speaking and writing skills and encourages us to keep up with current events,” Gill said in an email to The Hustler.
As the tournament took place in Ireland, many of the topics were related to the country. Topics debated in the tournament included universal basic income, Ireland’s immigration policy, viewpoint diversity, regulations on Ireland’s agricultural industry and a proposal to change Ireland’s constitution.
Reddy spoke about the ways in which the team prepared for the debate topics and the importance of this preparation, emphasizing how the team regularly keeps up with current events.
“This debate was unique because we knew that we were going to get topics about Ireland. We did a lot of research to make sure we were up to date with everything going on in Ireland and current events happening around the world,” Reddy said. “What really distinguishes us from those other schools that end up in finals often is just the amount of preparation that we do.”
Reddy and Gill both expressed their gratitude for their experiences representing Vanderbilt on the international stage through debate.
“I came into Vanderbilt having not done debate in high school, and I feel very lucky that I came to Vanderbilt and that our team is so open and welcoming to people that didn’t have that background,” Reddy said. “Without that, I wouldn’t have made the friends that I did and had the experiences that I’ve had, and I really think that debate has made my Vanderbilt experience.”
Gill, who has competed in debate for many years, echoed these sentiments.
“Winning an international championship is something that was beyond my wildest dreams even two years ago, much less when I started debating,” Gill said. “It still feels a little bit surreal, and I’m very grateful for Vanderbilt’s investment in me and my team, as well as the support of our coaches, for making this moment possible.”
Koch spoke about the benefits that participating in debate can have for students.
“Debate teaches students to think critically about the world. It forces them to learn about issues and think about them from several different positions,” Koch said in an email to The Hustler. “This allows them to see the strengths and weaknesses of all positions, which instills the value of academic humility. This value highlights that none of us have a monopoly on the ‘truth,’ and it is important to hear multiple perspectives on an issue in order to form our own opinion but be open to having our opinion changed.”
