In which we consider the young 'uns

The Kaiser at Monticello opened registration today. And the question to be answered is, will the region support itself at the younger level? Looking at Bronx, for instance, we’re thinking that folks will get maybe 4 slots, 5 at most, for the debate events. If you have 4 teams, 5 at most, you’re fine. If you have more, maybe not. Plus there’s the question of if your teams really are Bronx-worthy. Some of the top debaters in the country will be there; are your teams truly up for them, or are they going to quickly sink down among the bottom-feeders? Will that be such a great experience for them? Maybe. Will they get meaningful rounds? Probably not. The misconception many students have that they are TOC-quality debaters and therefore need to participate only at TOC-qualifying events is one of the most malicious unintended consequences of the TOC in the first place. Know theyself, you schmegeggie.

The point of Academy debate, a division comprising second- and lightly seasoned third-years, is to provide those meaningful rounds. The division is meant as a place where everyone has a chance. Monti provides those chances, and lately few people have taken advantage of them. If everyone in the region, all of whom need those chances, were to sign up, the joint would be jumpin’. I hope that’s how it turns out.

Byram Hills (which is still open, by the way, if you haven’t registered yet, you tattie howker) is a similar event. Their numbers are far from overwhelming, but at least they’re reasonable. Still, they should be more. It was originally conceived as a prep for JV and Varsity (they have V divisions) at Yale, among other things, although if you ask me, all tournaments ought to exist for themselves. That is, tournaments ought to exist to provide what a region needs, and the region ought to respond accordingly. I’ve written about this at length in the toolkit. Give the people what they want, and need.

So here we are. Two tournaments that ought to be extremely beneficial for the region. It’s up to the region to make that happen. All the tournaments can do, when you think about it, is provide the opportunity. It’s up to everyone else to grab that opportunity.

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