Venomous Agenda Memoirs

Chapter 14: Season Openers

Late September 2024. With the renewed roster of the debate team, and only two veterans who play in events the new players don't play in (dramatic interpretation and original oratory, which the players call DI and orat respectively), the Venomous Agendas play at the Holy Cross Navy and Old Gold.

On Monday morning, or October 1, the VA debaters return home to an announcement that's a little muted. Glen briefly reviews the VAs results at that debate tournament. I get that everyone has to start somewhere, but somehow, it's not Chantal who seems to perform best at this tournament. I didn't see Sadie coming; until today, I pictured Sadie simply as someone who might be smart, but doesn't otherwise make any kind of splash whatsoever, he muses while he begins the announcement, while also reviewing the debate team's expense report from attending Holy Cross.

"Good morning, everyone, our debate team has returned from its season opener, the Holy Cross Navy and Old Gold Debate and Speech Exhibition with a top novice speaker award won by Sadie Naath, a sophomore! Honorable mention to Chantal Morin, with a fourth place in extemporaneous speaking in her first debate tournament! For more questions about the events, please ask the debate team coach!" Glen makes his announcement, before moving on to the announcement regarding the mathletic season opener.

In most classes without a debate player, including Jennifer's AP Calculus BC section, most students gasp upon hearing about the very existence of the debate team; non-freshmen never, never heard anything about the debate team last year unless they were friends of the players. Not even making it to the semifinals in public forum in the NSDA district qualifier or the state championship was somehow enough to warrant an announcement last year.

"Oh my god, we have a debate team?" Jennifer gasps upon hearing the news.

"What the hell are public forum and extemporaneous speaking?" Phil, another mathlete at the VMC, asks, while rolling his eyes.

"I have no clue either, but you'd better get used to it especially since there will be more debate tournaments" Trent answers the students' questions.

But then Glen is reminded of the time and place of the mathletic season opener, the first game of the official regular Math Madness season. Yet, opponents aren't always known in advance in that league.

"Don't forget to buy your tickets for the opening game of the Venomous Agendas' mathletic season on Thursday night at seven PM for four dollars each!" Glen finishes his announcement.

Meanwhile, since the coach assumes all in-person tournaments would cost more or less the same as this one to attend, he summons the coach to his office during lunch, and ask for explanations about the debate schedule.

"Can you explain to me the following? You're risking going seriously over budget if all tournaments end up being this expensive!" a furious Glen screams at the debate coach.

"Our remaining schedule for the season includes the following: Teurlings Catholic, Southside, Isidore Newman if they let us in, St. Thomas More, and Delores Arthur, and that's not counting on the state championships" the debate coach lists all the tournaments the debate team plans on attending.

"That's a lot of tournaments, and, if possible, swap out an in-person tournament for an online one. Do you have an idea of how much you would save by going online?" Glen asks the debate coach, not knowing whether there would be expenses incurred by going online that aren't when attending in-person tournaments. "For future years, no more than twelve players!" the principal warns the debate coach.

"I don't think we're going to get more than that realistically. The debate team has the same reputation of intense intellectual requirements as the other two teams, nearly all players we get are in the top quarter of their respective classes, and the majority are in the top ten percent" the debate coach shares his observations as to how big the debate team can realistically get.