Small School Debate: Experiences and Tips - Part 1

Note: Large parts of this article, and our experiences, center around debate camp just because it can be such an important resource. We recognize that debate camp is extremely expensive and inaccessible to many debaters and W.in Debate is hoping to release a W.in Debate Camp Scholarship for Gender Minorities to combat some of these inequities soon!

Resources disparities frame debate, from the actual arguments read in round to the attitudes of competitors, coaches, and judges. All five of us have unique experiences as gender minority debaters coming from small schools, however, we also have a lot of privilege to be able to attend debate camp and hire private coaches. The goal of this article is to highlight some of our experiences, outline learning opportunities, and provide tips that we have gathered from our own experiences.

Experience #1: Saranya Singh, Mission San Jose High School

My school is floating somewhere in between the spectrum of independent versus big school. We have an established debate program but lack funding and coaching, especially for LD.

The size of my school is especially important for tournament registration. Because I do not compete independently, all tournament registration has to be approved by the school club, but this also means that I can attend tournaments that do not allow independent entries. I have to regularly check tabroom for registration dates, payment, prefs, and forms/waivers. Tip: Create a tournament calendar at the beginning of each season to figure out which tournaments you want to go to, when their payment deadlines are, and when you need to start thinking about registration.

I started debate very early, as a middle schooler. I was very lucky to have Shrey Raju, who also goes to MSJ, as my teammate from the very beginning. Still, especially as a gender minority, it’s easy to feel small amongst the tall, terrifying groups of 10+ boys wearing matching big school merch. (Bonus story: Once, my female friend and I were in novice LD at an in-person tournament, and we decided to go to a nearby Chipotle. Then, a group of extremely tall boys from a big school took over the whole Chipotle and we were literally so scared that we left. I wish we had stood our ground because Chipotles are public spaces! But sometimes, it can be really scary, and it’s okay if you just want to leave.) A technique that helped me at tournaments was finding a safe spot on campus that I could return to in between rounds. Tip: Getting a war room is often difficult when you don’t have a large team, but you can always find a corner or chair to take over for the tournament, so you always feel like you have a place to go.

Coaching was another barrier I had to overcome. Due to logistical difficulties and the small size of our team, it was difficult to find a school coach. I was fortunate enough to have the resources to attend debate camp, and I mostly found debate coaches through debate camp. While I was at camp, I prioritized drilling with as many people as possible, in the hopes of finding someone who I clicked with. I also realized that having an enthusiastic coach who really wants to help you is much more important than someone with a big reputation. Tip: Having someone who will support you and help you navigate the space is more important than someone who won the most rounds as a debater.

Tip #1: Don’t be afraid to email (Saranya)

Emailing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to get things done. If you’re unsure about a tournament requirement or just have a question, do not hesitate to email the tournament coordinator. As long as you make your email polite and professional, most people will be more than happy to help. Here are some tips for emails:

1. Be polite. Start the email with something like “Hope you are doing well” or “I am so excited to be able to attend X tournament this year. I have been looking forward to it…” and then compliment their tournament profusely. Don’t overdo it, but you’d definitely be surprised how far a little kindness goes!
2. On the other hand, keep your emails concise and to the point. You don’t have to explain every circumstance in the first email; wait for them to say “No” before you assume you have to convince them. People get bored reading long emails and are much less likely to respond. Include all relevant information in the first few lines of the email, including your name and school, so they don’t have to search too much.
3. Keep the “small school” card in your pocket, but use it carefully! Sometimes, describing your situation as a small school debater can help you with forms, waivers, fees, and advisor issues. However, some tournaments are NOT small school friendly and your pleas may end up backfiring.
4. Always edit your emails! You may not think it when you’re writing the email, but small grammatical mistakes and typos can have a large effect on the way you are perceived. Make sure your email is polished and grammatically correct. It’s definitely a good idea to have an adult review your email. This doesn’t have to be a debate coach; your parents or a sibling will work as well!
5. If you can’t have an adult send the email, try to cc an adult. Generally, tournament coordinators prefer talking to adults rather than students, but as a small school debater, you might not have a school coach who can email for you.
6. Don’t forget to express your gratitude to the tournament coordinator for accommodating you. Running a tournament is hard and they are likely very stressed. Acknowledging their hard work is just the nice thing to do and can also make them more likely to want to help.

Experience #2: Anika Ganesh, Notre Dame San Jose

I go to a small all girls school called Notre Dame in California. Because my school is so small, the resources it has for clubs tend to be limited, especially since I wanted to do circuit debate. Although we have some debate coaches, there weren’t any that specialized in progressive debate, nor were there any older teammates I could turn to for advice. As a result, I felt pretty lost in how to navigate the world of circuit LD. So, I signed up for debate camp the following summer which turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made. Through camp, I learned so much about circuit debate in the span of 3 weeks and made close friends I talk to and am on a team with to this day.

During camp, I realized I needed a coach but was unsure of how to ask around and contact people. I reached out to my lab leader after camp and he was able to put me in contact with people that would potentially be available to coach. One of my friends from camp and I hired one of the people we found that was available and drilled with them over the course of the season. Since it was just the two of us, I often felt overwhelmed and lost with prep because I had absolutely no idea how big schools and other independent debaters were able to churn out many affs, disads, counterplans, and kritiks. I didn’t even know that you could hire people to help cut prep. Over the course of the season, we wiki mined our affs and neg positions compiled into 3 very messy documents which worked but weren't very efficient. At the very end of the season, I wrote my first aff and a few disads after struggling to come up with my own prep for a long time.

Another amazing thing camp did was introduce me to W.in (Women in Debate), which is a good free resource for underprivileged debaters. Through W.in, I met my mentor who drilled with me throughout the season, offered emotional support through tough rounds and tournaments, and became one of my good friends. One of the best resources at hand is the debate directory which has a litany of coaching forms, rounds to watch, and articles to read for those getting introduced to the activity. Through mentorships, watching endless rounds on YouTube, doing spreading drills in my room, and talking to everyone I could about debate, I was able to learn new arguments and social etiquette in debate quickly.

Tip #2: Don’t be afraid to reach out to new people (Anika)

The most important part of debate is not winning, it’s the friendships you can make. Although online debate has limited social interaction, there are still ways you can make friends:

1. First, reach out to people! Although this may seem intimidating, it can look like texting your opponent after the round while waiting for the rfd. Often, everyone else is also looking to make new friends and will respond, as they are hopeful to become friends with you as well. Reaching out can also look like messaging those you’ve never talked to for practice debates. It might be easier to ask your prep group or teammates, but asking new people is not only beneficial to improving, it’s able to create friendships because you can talk about the round after, or ask them questions about their experiences in debate.
2. Second, try to go to an in person tournament. Debate is expensive (I know), but going to a local tournament in the area or flying out for one big tournament is the best way to make friends. You can meet those you’ve met online in person, talk to your opponents without the barrier of a screen, maybe give someone an orange, or run into someone at a Starbucks who will become your best friend later on.
3. Third, debate camp is another amazing way to make friends (if you don’t mind paying money for it). Debate camp is a great way to improve in a short amount of time, but it is the best place to make friends because you live with your labmates and other camp members for up to 3 weeks, which enables you to grow closer with those around you quickly. As with in person tournaments, you’ll be able to meet people from all over the country. However, not everyone can afford debate camp which hinders a lot of people from going. There are some non-profit camps and free camps that you can attend, along with scholarships and need based aid that is available to underprivileged debaters.

Experience #3: Kendra Scmidt, South Eugene High School

I debate for South Eugene High School, a public school in Oregon. I started LD when I attended a camp the summer before my freshman year, when I was introduced to circuit debate. In my freshman year, I was lucky because I had older teammates who knew how to do circuit debate and had found success in it. However, my sophomore year was online, and I was one of three people on my team to be doing LD, and the only girl as well. We had no coach that year either, and I struggled to find motivation to continue debating.

I attended camp again the next summer, and along with a close friend I had made, found a private coach for my junior year season. For the longest time, I had no idea how to cut my own evidence for topics, and mostly relied on the wiki. This year, I am incredibly lucky in that I have found an amazing all-female prep group with two extremely supportive coaches which has made a world of a difference.

However, being an independent debater is still extremely hard. I often have to pay out of pocket for tournament registration, travel fees and judging, since our debate team lacks funding and school support. I have had to compete independently several times since my team mostly competes on the local circuit and limits how many tournaments we can attend. I am very lucky to have been able to attend camp three times, and don’t know if I would have met the people and community I have now without it. If you are given the opportunity to attend, I highly suggest it!

The biggest advice I have is if you are a small school debater, reach out to other people in the community! In my experience, people are generally very friendly and willing to help you if you have questions, or just want someone to talk to about debate. Debate has been such an important experience in my life, and although being a small school debater made it difficult at times, I have no regrets about participating in debate. It has truly given me many opportunities and important life skills.

Tip #3: Confidence (Saranya)

One of the biggest challenges gender minorities, especially from small schools, face in debate is confidence. It’s easy to feel like you don’t belong or you don’t deserve to be here, especially when you don’t have a strong support system of coaches and teammates. Imposter syndrome is rampant and you are not alone; seriously, a lot of gender minorities face this! Confidence is important in debate, not only for mental health purposes, but also because fear can often cost you the W. There’s no easy solution but here are a couple of things that might help:

a. Fake it until you make it! Pretend! Act! Put on a show! Your confidence will affect your opponent and judge’s perception of you, and eventually, it will make you feel better about yourself as well. One day, you’ll find that you’re not faking it anymore!

b. Remember that you belong. Debate needs more gender minorities. If you are here, you are already making the space better and you deserve to be here. Debate is not easy and having the strength to compete is a feat that should not go unacknowledged. Find your support system in your friends and your community, and always remember that you belong here as much as anyone else.

c. Don’t obsess about debate. It’s really easy to fall into the trap of timeline posts and tabroom wins but remind yourself that debate is not the most important thing in life. Tabroom stalking can often do more harm than good, and sometimes, it is better to distance yourself until the round.

d. It’s okay to take a break. Debate should not negatively consume your life. If you find that debate is negatively affecting your mental or physical health, it is perfectly fine (and recommended) to take some time off.

Keep an eye out for Part 2, featuring Ava Manaker and Tanya Wei with tips on generics, wiki mining, and finding judges, coming soon!

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