“Diplomacy is not a Spectator Sport”: Debate Provincials

The annual debate provincials, The Law Foundation Cup, was hosted by St. George’s School on February 27th and 28th. Students from across British Columbia came together and competed for the title of first place in the province. The tournament was held under Saints Conference headed by socials teacher Ms. Sarah Coates.

The fruitful two days kicked off with a brief opening speech and registration. The speakers were placed in teams of two and put in Novice, Junior and Senior categories. Each team competed against one another in classrooms throughout the school. Parent and guest judges alike sat through rounds of intense debate and with the help of moderators, the speakers’ scores were sent to the tabulation room. Students showcased their use of rhetoric through strong arguments and effective rebuttals. Eventually, the winners of rounds were bracketed against another and the winning team had a chance to qualify for nationals. The two days were filled with heated debate on topics such as Quebec’s independence, among others. Saints speakers did a fantastic job and spoke their hearts out. A special thank you to Ms. Coates for her dedication, passion, and most importantly, taking the time out of her day to make the tournament possible.

Congratulations to the following saints debaters:

Robert Armstrong (first place Junior team)
Samuel Chen (top 20 speakers, top 10 team)
Allan Lee (top 10 speakers, top 10 team)
Chris Pang and Jay McCauley (top 5 team)
Daniel Zhang and Paul Bao (top 20 team)
Nic Wicaksono and Kelvin Zhu (top 20 team, top 10 speakers)
Alan Wong and Quinton Huang (top 20 team, top 20 speakers)

A heartfelt thank you to the organizing team without whom the tournament would not have happened:
Alvin Tsuei
Ryan Karimi
Bill Lou
Alan Wong
Alan Zha
Quinton Huang
Nic Wicaksono
Albert Wang