Debate Team on Fire!!!
...new activity shows great promise

by Sarah Schrag

If you asked a Kingman student what they knew about debate, most would offer a confused look and say "not much." This year, students had the opportunity to be part of something new at Kingman High School. Last year, math teacher Mr. Darryl Mannebach decided to push forth the effort of starting a debate squad.

Mannebach had intentions of starting a debate team when he first came here. Having debated throughout his high school career and qualifing for state all four years, placing 4th during his junior year, he has a lot of experience and a love for the competition.

In debate, a new topic is established every year. This year it states, "Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase alternative energy incentives in the United States." In a round, a team either takes the affirmative or the negative approach. The affirmative team presents a plan or case to show how the United States can increase alternative energy incentives. The negative team goes into a round not knowing what the affirmative team presents, and within the round, finds the flaws and shows how their plan is "non-topical" or not capable of working.

In tournaments, attendance affects standings. Normally a tournament includes no more than fifteen schools, each bringing four teams. That makes sixty kids competing, yet not every team competes against each other. In a tournament, depending on attendance and if it’s a novice to a varsity level, there could be three to five rounds each lasting an hour and a half. This is why debate is such a commitment. Most students wouldn’t want to spend an entire Saturday debating.

The Kingman Debaters have an elite eight force that attend almost every tournament they can. These members include three seniors: Kali Boroughs, Kaitlin Kuszmaul, and Dallas Lawrence; junior Bethany Bailey; sophomores: Jessi Berry and Ciera Ogden; freshmen: Tony Williams and Alex Wing. Others that have participated are Beverly Burris, Sarah McPherren and Sarah Schrag. These students have put in numerous hours and much energy to start this program with a great foundation.

For those who don’t know too much about debate and are considering it for the future, Mr. Mannebach would say, "If you are interested in improving your public speaking, researching, and note taking skills, come out for debate. If you are interested in meeting people from other schools, come out for debate. If you want to learn how to give a better argument as to why you should get the car Saturday night, come out for debate. There is a reasonable amount of dedication, but in the end I think there are several benefits that can be gained by participating in debate."