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Tuesday, May. 13, 2008

Houston students head to national contest

This summer, a group of high school students from Houston County will be headed for Las Vegas where they will be debating at the National Forensic League's 2008 Desert Lights Nationals tournament. It will be held from June 15-20. According to the National Forensics League's Web site, www.nflonline.org/NationalTournament/National, the national debate tournament consists of "two consolation speech events and four supplemental speech events."

To qualify for nationals, one must first qualify at district levels. Scholarships and other awards are given to those who emerge as the winners of the tournament.

Onica Matsika, a senior from Houston County High School, qualified for nationals as one of the two senators in Student Congress.

"We engaged in over eight hours of debate over several proposed bills," Matsika said about Student Congress. Mock parliamentary procedures are practiced in Student Congress. Matsika has been debating for two years and has participated in a variety of events including policy debate, Lincoln-Douglas, Student Congress, impromptu and extemporaneous speaking.

"NFL nationals is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that you want to work harder than you have ever worked to make the most of," she said about her qualifying for nationals.

From Warner Robins High School, Jamie Watson, Andy Hull and Robert Walker qualified for nationals, while Kristen Johnston and Raymond Dunk qualified as alternates.

Walker qualified in Student Congress, Johnston in Extemporaneous Speaking and Dunk in Original Oratory. Watson and Hull, both seniors, qualified in Policy Debate in which the two are partners. Hull, who is in his third year of debate, plans on attending Emory University in the fall and getting a double degree in math and philosophy with a minor in film studies. He would like to obtain his doctorate and become a professor.

"Debate has truly been one of the most influential factors in my life, intellectually speaking. With its focus on critical analysis and thought, I have cultivated a passion for intellectual inquiry that has led me to want to major in two studies where critical thought is integral, philosophy and mathematics," said Hull via an e-mail interview.

Hull qualified last year as an alternate, but this is his first year attending nationals and his last high school debate tournament. At nationals, both Hull and Watson concur about the type of competition they will confront. Hull said in an e-mail interview, "There's such a wide spectrum of skill levels and the tournament is so large. Some debaters are attending their second tournament ever while others are being recruited by powerhouse schools like Emory and Harvard." Similarly, Watson said, "It should be mixed competition. Some districts are really, really good but some are really, really bad."

Even with the projected mixed competition, Matsika already has set a goal for herself.

"I plan to get to the finals of course," she said. "While I do aspire to do as best as I can, I am truly honored and excited just to be there. If I do get out early, I plan on doing lots of site seeing in Las Vegas."

Ryan Prior, a senior at Warner Robins High School, contributed to this story.

Lucy Ma is a sophomore at Houston County High School.