by Ryan Mac Donald
Staff Writer
In an event that will magnetize some of the best debating teams in the world, the intervarsity debate tournaments, which are to be held at Oxford University and Cambridge University Nov. 10-18. It provides the University of La Verne’s debate team its first international competition of the year.
These two intervarsity tournaments will host teams from all around the world, including teams from the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States. The speech team, which will represent the University of La Verne, consists of seniors Sean Krispinsky, Stefan Chacon and Ernie Minner and junior Ryan Knowles.
“It is going to be a preparation tournament for the end game [world championships] in January,” said Knowles. “[We are going] to get a pulse on the world circuit.”
Minner added, “We want to do really well [at these two tournaments] because they will prepare us for world championships.”
The teams will compete against law schools from many reputable schools, including the University of Glasgow and this year’s host University College Dublin.
“In some ways, the best teams will be competing here,” said director of forensics and head coach Ian Lising. “We are sending two teams and we can do better than last year, especially when people are looking at are programs as one of the world’s best.”
Last year, the speech and debate team sent two teams to compete at both of these tournaments, and the team of Justin Jones Rodriguez and Krispinsky placed in the finals at Oxford, and placed into the semifinals at the Cambridge tournament.
These teams garnered international recognition and respect for the program, and by placing ahead of many highly regarded teams, the speech and debate team now anticipates similar results in how they perform.
“Last year, we set a new reputation for La Verne, which [this year] we have to live up to,” said Lising. “So, the pressure will be there.”
“The difference [this year] is, at larger, the team holistically is better. This year all of the debaters are on the same page,” said Jones Rodriguez, assistant coach. “There aren’t any weak links. We have two teams who can do really, really well.”
Knowles added, “Everyone knows who we are before we get there. So everyone is not under pressure to prove who we are, because we know what we have done in the past.”
Jones Rodriguez is hopeful the teams will preserve their reputation at both tournaments.
“A lot of great teams from last year are retired, so it is an open field, and La Verne will take with them experience and expectation,” said Jones Rodriguez.
