Salient

Vic triumphs in debating again

By Jessy Edwards | 26 May, 2008

Victoria’s debating teams dominated last weekend’s Novice Championships in Hamilton, coming away with the top prize and retaining the prestigious McLeod Trophy for the third year running.

Teams Victoria One (Chris Blackford, Sarah Wilson and Matt de Wit) and Victoria Four (Jane Pring, Udayan Mukherjee, and Tom Mathews) fought off Auckland debaters in the semi-finals to make it a Victoria-only race to the top.

In the end, Victoria Four came away with the gold medal and the title of Best Novice Debaters in the North Island.

“Two Vic teams were in the final because Vic is absolutely ruthless in the final rounds of tournaments,” said Christopher Bishop, president of the University’s Debating Society.

With both semi-final wins over Auckland leaving their competitors without points, Victoria’s debaters have had a lot to celebrate.

The Novice Championships is a competition for debaters who have attended no more than one of the major New Zealand tournaments, the Australian Championships or World Championships. Participants are typically first- to third-year students, without “a vast amount of uni debating under their belt.”

“It’s a great victory for Vic and reflects the fact that we have a large crop of extremely promising young debaters at the moment. It bodes very well for the future of the Society,” explains Bishop.

“The Trophy tournament is traditionally a breeding ground for future great debaters.” Salient congratulates members of Victoria One and Victoria Four teams.