Debaters start rookie season with cracking win

Despite all the media attention about electric cars being anything but sustainable our team managed to deliver a convincing case as to why electric cars indeed need to be portrayed as sustainable technology.

Five weeks into training our rookie debaters did not feel too confident about the first two rounds of this year’s debating season. And their flicikering nerves were more than understandable considering the strict debating format with its peculiar procedures, needs and expectations: the set structure of the 8 minute substantial speeches for each of the three debaters, reply speeches, points of information, rebuttal practice, ARE structure, SPERM model… technicalites galore for debates which last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. And all of these needed to be practised at short notice.

In addition, the debates took place online last Friday afternoon, and after a full school day including exams we were all somewhat knackered and expectations weren’t set too high. To make things worse, our newbies’ confidence sagged further after the more experienced members of our team had lost the preceding impromptu debate in what could be called a „debatable verdict“. The motion for this first round read: This House believes that families with two parents should have to take the same amount of parental leave. And despite our team being poised and convincing in defending this motion we had to admit defeat to team Opposition from Hans Thoma Gymnasium Lörrach.

However, our rookies came back strong in the second round against Nellenburg Gymnasium Stockach. Now being team Opposition ourselves we finally managed to convince the adjudicators of our case.

As indicated above, the exact motion for this prepared debate read: This House regrets the portrayal of electric cars as sustainable energy.

With this successful start into the debating season we are all looking forward to the forthcoming rounds 3 and 4, which will take place on February, 5.

Congratulations and a big thanks for their commitment and effort goes to Maja Seiffermann, Amie Thulin, Arina Anzupow, Tillmann Bier, Gesa Althoff and Chiara Spors.

A special thanks to Mr Goebel who once again supplied us with the necessary equipment and to the Verein der Ehemaligen und Freunde for supporting our membership in the Debating Society Germany!

Interested? Join us Wednesdays 10th and 11th period in A13 (E Phase upwards)!

Text und Foto: Georg Probst