Andrea Diaz

Staff Writer

Skills in argumentation, use of evidence, communication, and rhetorical strategy are all a part of debate. Debate is having a formal discussion between a certain amount of participants about ranging topics that are polarizing. The goal is to have the better argument through the use of debate and discussion. “It is the creation of arguments and supporting factors for the purpose of considering deeply all sides of a chosen subject, and advancing positions.  The “winner” generally wins by advancing the position that is more compelling,” said Andrew Christensen, Assistant Director of Idaho State Debate.

There are many different formats when it comes to debating. Some include: “British Parliamentary Debate, International Public Debate, and Public Forum Debate. The official name of the Idaho State University debate team is the James M. & Sharon E. Rupp Debate Society. They’re reigning National champions in the Public Forum Debate format, which is when, “A team of two learns just about everything there is to know about both sides of a topic, and can debate either side from any angle. In competition, teams debate round after round on opposing sides until one competitor emerges victorious.” Christensen said.

COVID-19 has affected everyone and the ISU debate team is no exception. The debate team now competes virtually and this has had positive and negative effects. One of the main positives being that the team can participate in tournaments that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to due to traveling and monetary limitations. For example, the debate team was able to register in an Ivy League tournament and a tournament taking place in Florida. However, there are downsides to competing online. “–the quality of the speaking is lower. Competitors might say or do things from thousands of miles away that they would never do if the judge were literally in the room.  Contestants sometimes don’t dress up to present, they don’t stand up to speak, and they tend to mumble when speaking from a bedroom or a cubicle rather than in a classroom,” said Chistensen. Another downside is that there isn’t as much socialization between the team and it is harder to really feel like a team. “Many of us fell in love with debate in part due to the friends and experiences we made traveling the country representing Idaho State. However, that is limited now due to COVID,” said Kaden Marchetti, President of the ISU debate team and Senior Computer Science major.

Other hardships are that the speaker vs. speaker and team vs. team dynamic has been a little lost in an online format. “…nobody really jumps up and emotionally begins arguing against the opponent because we first have to go through “can you hear me, can you see me?” whenever a new speaker begins. There’s something amazing about seeing a great speaker get all-fired-up, righteously waving his notepad, and resolutely making a point against the opponent. That can’t happen online,” Christensen said.

It is difficult to argue passionately, and on the other hand, it is hard to compliment the opposing team. “There’s no way to visit with a competitor one-on-one after a round and pay them a compliment, or visit them while the judges reach a conclusion,” said Christesen.

Competing virtually is also something that the debate team is somewhat used to. “Our team is fortunate enough to have coaches who have worked tirelessly to make the transition as smooth as possible. They also got us involved in virtual tournaments as far back as 2018, giving us an edge over our competition in this new environment. Due to their effort, we have had few problems,” Marchetti said.

The team has gone undefeated and going virtual has not stopped the team from doing what they love and doing it well.

“I think the University will be pleased to know that the team is performing incredibly well, going undefeated at the last invitational, which is quite an accomplishment!,” said Marchetti. “We are all excited for the day we are able to meet with our friends from neighboring universities again; however, Covid is not stopping us from competing at the highest level remotely.”