Anonymous
Post 10/30/2023 10:30     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain the fast talking? Is the goal just to make as many points as possible?


Yes
Anonymous
Post 10/30/2023 10:22     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain the fast talking? Is the goal just to make as many points as possible?


Yes. The result is pretty silly. Go on YouTube and look up "debate spreading" for entertaining examples. The idea is to make so many arguments that your opponent cannot address them all.
Anonymous
Post 10/30/2023 10:16     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
Can someone explain the fast talking? Is the goal just to make as many points as possible?
Anonymous
Post 10/30/2023 10:04     Subject: Re:High school debate team too intense?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: HS debate is intense. I know kids who have had to quit sports because of the huge time commitment speech and debate is. What you are describing is correct. My daughter loves debating but can't commit to the team.


I wish they would do something about this. For instance, why is there a need to have “points” and declare winners/losers?

Couldn’t they just make debate a non-competitive activity?


Agree; perhaps find a pathway to acknowledging everyone worked really hard on their presentation. And at the end of the day they are all winners.
Anonymous
Post 10/30/2023 10:02     Subject: Re:High school debate team too intense?
Anonymous wrote: HS debate is intense. I know kids who have had to quit sports because of the huge time commitment speech and debate is. What you are describing is correct. My daughter loves debating but can't commit to the team.


I wish they would do something about this. For instance, why is there a need to have “points” and declare winners/losers?

Couldn’t they just make debate a non-competitive activity?
Anonymous
Post 10/30/2023 09:54     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
I have a kid who is interested in mock trial, and I was curious if mock trial is also as intense as debate? I am the PP right above whose sister found debate toxic. I would like to avoid such a culture if possible. Can anyone with experience comment?
Anonymous
Post 10/30/2023 09:39     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
redquasar wrote:For those of you who are adverse to intense activities in high school, did any of you attend a top-tier college? I only ask because almost all top-notch careers early on require intense dedication pressure, problem-solving. Whether you are in debates, or sports, have to learn how to start dealing with pressure.


Yes, I attended a top 10 university. I was not involved in debate but my sister was heavily invested so I saw a lot of what was going on. I personally thought it was a waste of time. The speed-talking is especially ridiculous, because the skills you are building have no real-world application. My sister eventually decided it was a toxic experience after-the-fact, but she was too invested and the coach pressured her to stay on the team. It's fine for kids who enjoy it, and there's nothing wrong with building skills that have no real-world application per se, but there are better ways to build skills and character for those who don't actually enjoy it.
redquasar
Post 10/29/2023 22:40     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
For those of you who are adverse to intense activities in high school, did any of you attend a top-tier college? I only ask because almost all top-notch careers early on require intense dedication pressure, problem-solving. Whether you are in debates, or sports, have to learn how to start dealing with pressure.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2023 15:17     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
Anonymous wrote:It's normal. High school debate is very intense. For kids who are competitive and intense by nature, it is great. The kids who love it and do it well love the intensity. A couple of my best friends are from high school debate (my school, other schools, summer debate camps).


+1000
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2023 14:29     Subject: Re:High school debate team too intense?
I tried debate in college and I stopped when I discovered that just talking really really fast was a major part of the competition.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2023 14:05     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
It's normal. High school debate is very intense. For kids who are competitive and intense by nature, it is great. The kids who love it and do it well love the intensity. A couple of my best friends are from high school debate (my school, other schools, summer debate camps).
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2023 14:03     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
There are different formats of debate, both in high school and college. Policy debate is definitely hard-core, competitive, stressful, and promotes spreading. But there are other formats of debate (e.g., Lincoln-Douglas, although I think that that format isn't nearly as common now, public forum, parliamentary). If debate is something your kid is interested in pursuing in college, take a look at the programs out there and look for schools that offer more than just policy.

Speech (individual events) is another great way to gain many of the same skills, i.e., public speaking, speaking on your feet, etc.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2023 12:22     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all who weighed in. Good to know, I guess, that my kid's experience is "normal."

The former debaters might be interested in reading this Harpers piece by Tess McNulty about toxic gender dynamics in h.s. debate: https://harpers.org/archive/2022/09/both-sides-now-domination-and-abuse-on-the-high-school-debate-circuit/

As for the poster who asked "What's the point?" If you looked at any activity through the lens of "in demand skills," I think you'd find most of them lacking. What's the point of striving to run a mile in less than five minutes or putting your body (and brain) on the line for high school football? I think all activities can have a point if the student finds fulfilment in them. As PPs have noted, policy debate can work to sharpen critical thinking and writing, collaboration, public speaking and confidence.

+1 really helped DS. He's in a STEM major in college now, and he's told me that debate really helped him, not just with the writing, but when meeting with recruiters at the college fairs.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2023 11:31     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
I debated through high school and college (not policy) one level out from the national competitive level (I was good, but not at that level, we could win/place at a regional ). It was intense, yes, and I greatly appreciated the community and the research skills it gave me. I did marry a debater, and we still have a community of alums 20+ years later. That said, it definitely affected my choices in college (I either missed or eventually did not take classes Friday, took away from my weekend work, etc.). If your kid is committed, let them do it.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2023 11:25     Subject: High school debate team too intense?
Anonymous wrote:High school debate kids have a particular type of personality. Intense would be saying it kindly


+1000