The last preliminary game is played against an unfamiliar opponent, who came into this game with a 6-3 record, but against whom the Venomous Agendas handily win, 425-180. If my mom could see this now, she'll probably say something about how I broke some cross-play record..., Sadie muses, while her mother checks on NAQT for updates on the HSNCT.
"Honey, no player at the ToC, or at the NSDA/NFL Nationals, made it to the top 100 on the HSNCT leaderboard during the same season in many years, maybe even at all. Maybe you'll be the first one" Sadie's mother texts her. "Also, no one playing at the ToC or NSDA Nats made it to the top-14 at the HSNCT in many years"
"Mom, these things only interest you" Sadie replies to her mother.
"Please be back by one-fifteen PM at the Marquis Ballroom Foyer" Warren warns his players.
"Thank you" Sadie tells the team, while she is more irritated than ever by her mother's attitude towards cross-play.
Sadie then attempts to imagine what will await her at home if she fails to deliver on either of her mother's statements. Her thoughts start racing, with no idea of how to turn them off, and she feels far more stress than at last year's HSNCT. This afternoon is one of the two key moments that will determine how I will approach the college applications process, and possibly my entire life! Just because my grades and my ACT score are secured doesn't mean I can rest on my laurels here!
Then comes another person that seems to recognize her from Columbia for some reason, with Kelsie in tow, alongside her LD teammate.
"I remember you from Columbia, too... Quiz Bowl Sadie" a ghost from the debate floor then tells her from behind.
"Who are you?" Sadie asks her. "You said you remember me from Columbia; what event were you playing?"
"Chloe. I played info speaking. I watched you play in triple-octos because my pattern allowed me to catch a glimpse of other events while I waited for my turn"
"Who do you play for?" Sadie asks Chloe.
"Bellarmine"
"Are you going to play at Nats, too?" Sadie asks Chloe.
"I played at Nats last year, and I am going this year, too" Chloe answers the puffer.
"My mom is one of your secret admirers, presumably because you cross-play in debates as I do. I'll be playing, too"
And, somehow, I gained fame nationwide among the debate circuit based on my quiz bowl prowess, relative to the rest of the circuit, and how it didn't prevent me from breaking at a very hard inter-state tournament! Sadie reflects, while Chloe lights a bulb in her mind. Here's my chance to discuss corporate tax cuts; Stan made me feel like an info player or an extemper. I could also discuss the LD topic at Nats if there's someone here playing LD at Nats.
"Technically I'm not playing debate, unlike you, but so many conflate speech with debate" Chloe continues.
"What about we go lunch together? I'm willing to listen to your info speech for Nats and then I'll do my opening statements on the aff and the neg, is that OK with you?" Sadie makes her suggestion to Chloe.
"I hope you understand that neither of us will consider our speeches delivered here as final" Chloe warns Sadie.
"Of course not. My partner is looking for evidence alongside my extemp teammate, and we will make adjustments, cut cards based on that, even though we mostly paraphrase our cards in actual speeches"
Then the two lunch together, with Chloe delivering her speech first, while they wait for the meals to arrive. Chloe's speech feels similar to the complaints voiced by Daisy and Rebecca early in the season, with more background information about the origins of the problems. Honestly, judge preferences have been a godsend to us in policy and LD. We would have been crushed in inter-state tournaments without. We always preferred more traditional judges but, at some inter-state tournaments, there just isn't a whole lot of these available. And maybe DCC even got to play at Nationals because the people they have been training with in the six weeks leading up to Last Chance taught the LD players how to navigate paradigms for manipulating judge preferences! Florence was a very traditional player, and equally traditional as a judge, too, Sadie reflects upon hearing about how judge preferences made LD and policy more of echo chambers than other formats. And, of course, the overuse of theory arguments allowing players to stray further from the resolution, such as the infamous kritiks, called Ks in policy/LD.
YOU ARE READING
A Tale of Two Academic Teams
Teen FictionSadie, an ambitious high school student, is the first student on the debate team to use its reserved quiz bowl spot. Little does she know that the pressure built up over the years could explode at any time, while struggling to evade the shadow of he...
