Last week, Jesuit Debate hosted its first in-person debate tournament at the local level since 2020. Over 200 competitors from 15 local area schools competed in the 2 day event. Jesuit debaters made the event run smoothly, ensuring rounds started on time and competitors and coaches knew the way to hospitality. In addition to the type of debate Jesuit does called CX debate, the tournament also brought competitors in other debate events including Congressional Debate, Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas and World Schools Debate. Each of these types of debates have different rules and formats – so Jesuit debaters got to learn about new types of debates in order to host effectively.
“It was fun to be back hosting in person this year especially with the change to allow teams from Jesuit to compete for the title. The best part of this year was when Brandon and Leo finished their state qualification at our tournament because of the rule change. Being the last state qualifying tournament, we try to add some special elements like feeding the tournament dinner on Friday night, having the In-N-Out Burger Truck on Saturday, our parent-sponsored hospitality room, and our unique blown glass trophies that honor the fact the school is an art museum. It just takes one competitor or coach to declare our tournament their favorite of the year and I know our hosting was a success.” ~~ Mr. Dan Lingel, Co-Director of Jesuit Debate
Jesuit Competes!
Furthermore, Jesuit also had junior-sophomore duo Brandon Gibson and Leo Ramirez finish their state qualification at our very own tournament, also a first for Jesuit Debate! Brandon and Leo finished with an impressive finish in the Semifinals, earning 4 more points to complete their state qualification. Under a new initiative spearheaded by Coach Lingel through the TFA, home teams can now compete in elimination rounds at their own tournament – and Gibson and Ramirez made good use, earning 4 qualifying points to become the 4th Jesuit team qualified to TFA State Tournament taking place March 9-11.
Dominic Chacko ’23 and Kyle Ma ’24 also lent their time to compete at the tournament, finishing with a 2-2 record and clearing to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
“We got to interact with many of our good debate friends from around the region. I did hear a debater comment that “[they] love[d] the hospitality [at the tournament]” which was made possible by the debate team staffing the tournament. Definitely something to be proud of. Also- who doesn’t love In-N-Out?” ~~ Dominic Chacko ’23
Hospitality
The Jesuit tournament is also known for its exceptional hospitality each year, providing free food and drinks for competitors and judges. True to form, this year, we provided complimentary In-N-Out burgers on Saturday for all participants. Non-participants were strictly forbidden from claiming the food.
“The Jesuit Debate Invitational was a really well-organized tournament: the coordination of judging, scheduling, and food made it really to have an enjoyable experience and get to rounds on time. Not to mention the Jesuit debaters, coaches, and other people helping run the tournament were very kind and helpful!” ~~ Rory Liu, Greenhill Debater
Volunteers
The tournament was made possible large thanks to our generous volunteers. With special help from parent of Jesuit Alumni Jack Moore ’19, Mrs. Nancy Moore and other parents transformed HH100 into a hospitality room that provided drinks and snacks for judges and volunteers. Furthermore, Jesuit debaters worked tirelessly to monitor hallways, ensuring that every debater is present and no issue goes unaddressed. Lastly, our very own head coaches Mr. Lingel and Dr. McFarland worked in the background, ensuring that the tournament runs smoothly and providing critical assistance where needed.
Here are some closing thoughts from our very own volunteers who generously pitched in and made the tournament possible!
“The Jesuit Invitational was quite enjoyable to assist in hosting. Having only helping to host during my freshman year, this experience made up for the minimal memories I had from that time. At the tournament during my freshman year, I focused on sitting down at a desk, eating a LOT of cookies, and hollering at some debater to not peer into our lockers (I’m kidding but not really kidding; these are about the only memories I have of that tournament). This year, I got to help out with monitoring rooms, meeting several people I had only seen as a 2D box from online debate tournaments, listening to a different style of debate (Worlds Schools Debate), and so much more!
On a separate, more serious note, I became much more appreciative of the work that Dr. McFarland and Coach Lingel do for Jesuit Dallas and Jesuit Debate. They put their heart, soul, and time into this activity like no other people I could ever imagine of, and the best part about it is that they just love the activity for what it is. They have created so many relationships with other people that I cannot fathom how many times a person would be surprised to see my coaches in-person after a few years of online tournaments. This definitely changed my outlook on how I view them as coaches and most importantly, people. They are kind hearted souls who only want to spread their love for an activity and prioritize altruistic causes, which I find as quite selfless. They spend more time at school than they do at home, helping out students, debaters, faculty & staff, and even people not affiliated with the school. In my view, they are a true representation of Fr. Pedro Arrupe’s quote, “Men and women for and with others.” ~~ Tejas Murugesh ’23
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more Jesuit Debate News!
