300 Students from 30 Schools Participate in Scarsdale Debate Tournament

Scarsdale High School hosted its annual Scarsdale Invitational Debate Tournament on November 13-14. This year was the largest event the team has ever sponsored, drawing the most competitors and raising the largest profit in its eleven-year history. On Friday afternoon, 300 students from 30 different high schools arrived at Scarsdale. They came from six states - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and even Florida.The tournament's success depended on the help of over 100 members of the Scarsdale Speech and Debate Team, many parents volunteers, and coach Joe Vaughan. They all worked tirelessly throughout the weekend to make sure the event ran smoothly, providing delicious meals all weekend long, housing competitors and judges who had traveled long distances, and managing the many logistics of the tournament itself.

The tournament offered competition in four categories - Varsity and Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate and Varsity and Novice Public Forum Debate. The Scarsdale Invitational is a national circuit tournament, meaning competitors who reached the semi-final round in Varsity fields received half qualifications to the Tournament of Champions, the prestigious national tournament. The winners in Varsity Public Forum were from Delbarton, New Jersey and the winner in Lincoln Douglas was from Lake Highland Preparatory, Florida.
All in, it was a fun but busy weekend. The team looks forward to hosting the same event next year and can't wait for the rest of the season that is in store.