[CX-L] Reflections on TOC by NDCA President
Lingel, Dan
DLingel@jesuitcp.org
Mon, 12 May 2003 10:30:24 -0500
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Reflections on the TOC by the President of the National Debate Coaches
Association
=20
Almost a week has passed and I was surprised with the lack of end of the
year dialogue on the lists that I frequent. I have always enjoyed the
debates about the best teams, best people, and the best at each of the
eight speeches. I enjoy the yearly need to include the person who would
be the best coach, the best teacher, and the person who did the most
community service. We talk of being a community but do we really know
what that is?
=20
As I always try to do at tournaments, I spent a great deal of time
watching and listening and talking and ranting this past weekend at the
TOC. I am about to complete a decade of being a Jesuit educator and I
have learned the value of reflection and taking time out to be thankful
for the things that have meant something to you. Well the debate
community means a great deal to me, so I want to spend a moment
celebrating some of the good things about debate and some of the people
in it. The TOC is the perfect moment for these reflections because it
brings together the best (and sometimes the worst) parts and people of
the high school and college communities. The interactions that occur
seem to provide a transition "moment" for the seniors either into
college debate or just into college while providing modeling
opportunities for the younger debaters-except this year of course where
the juniors ruled. It is also one of the few tournaments that promotes
adult interaction which is badly needed in our community and one of the
few tournaments where coaches gather to make policy for the community.
=20
First I want to thank JW for his vision and commitment to the principles
and foundations of the tournament plus the special moments that remind
us why we play this game-the Julia Burke Award, the Hall of Fame, and
the breakfast speeches. JW, you have given much to the high school
debate community and the TOC will forever be your legacy. Jim Copeland
mentioned the judge preference sheets and philosophy statements and
thanks to the work of David Glass and Raaid Ahmad, the NDCA has over 350
pages of philosophies are available online for debaters across the
country. JW, I am jealous each year of your ability to attend more
debate tournaments than anyone in the country and this is a testament to
your concern for the competitive and geographic equity of the
qualification system. Thank you again JW for being the visionary and
link for both the high school and college communities.=20
=20
Big thanks to David, Steve, Marie, Aaron, and all the other tabroom
staff. (Roger-my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family-you
were missed greatly). Your commitment to competitive fairness while
allowing us the time to coach would have made the Head Jayhawk proud.
Plus, you had us out of there while it was still light out, which
allowed for good food and more opportunities to model college debate to
our students (scouting, strategies, research updates, and even a bit of
sleep). I have always thought the high school community should heed
JW's warning about Midnight Madness (a much too often occurrence in high
school debate). Marie your words were very moving at the breakfast and
I would love to go to Disney and a Wildcats Basketball game with you
someday. =20
=20
Congratulations to Matt Whipple on your induction to the Hall of Fame
and your transition out of debate. Each debater and coach in the
country should listen and act on your words of activism from the
breakfast. As you prove by using your debate skills as a labor
negotiator, every debater should use their skills beyond the competitive
forum (not instead of and not as street theater-although there is
nothing wrong with argumentative street theater). We should all be so
lucky as to quit coaching still on top of the arguments and environment.
You and Marie have it right.=20
=20
I disagree with Jim Copeland's declaration of debate as dying. Yes,
many programs may be facing budget cuts, hiring freezes, unfilled jobs,
and increased travel expenses but we are seeing more and more programs
creating director, associate director, and assistant coaching jobs. The
debate community is a powerful clearinghouse for information on fund
raising and program development. We are seeing programs and metroplexes
growing in numbers. The urban debate league movement is going strong
and continues to add programs and if the Berkeley/Harvard weekend was
any indication-over 1000 policy debaters are competing at the varsity
level across the country. Junior high programs are springing up. The
debate movement is and will always be a grassroots cause. We will lose
and add programs every year and we must continue to support each
programs quest for the TOC and debates on Monday. While some street
theater may be occurring this is hardly the majority of debaters that
our occurring. If the TOC debates are any indication, the traditional
view of fiat and plan based advocacy is well entrenched in the
community. Our argumentative sophistication and the number of
disciplines that it spans have never been as great and more innovations
emerge every year. Major tournaments continue to have long waiting
lists as more programs attempt to expand the community. The teams in
the final four this year represented the four major metroplexes-Atlanta,
Chicago, Dallas, and the Bay area. The teams at the TOC represent more
regions of the country than at any point. We seem to be a living
example of community. =20
=20
Congratulations to Maggie, Saad, Michael, and Eli-you represented your
schools and metroplexes very well. The fact that there were three
juniors in the final round should send a message to every debater out
there that hard work, a strategic sense of the game, and some persuasion
skills (if you listen to your coaching) can be developed very early in
the game. Congratulations to the College Prep and Greenhill
mega-programs for producing a final round and post round discussion that
will definitely be remembered and I am sure talked about for at least
one lab meeting this summer-we have definitely added another discipline
for kritik ground and maybe we learned that defense can't win
championships. I was very impressed that even after a debate like this,
the debaters were still writing down the comments of the judges
=20
I want to applaud the final round panel for spending so much time
engaging both the debaters and the especially the audience. We heard a
lot about community and relationships in the morning at breakfast but
apparently we forgot about it by night time-the listservs and discussion
forums as well as the summer workshops serve as good forums for each of
us to think about what is a community and how is debate a community. If
our arguments and actions are going to be considered in relation to the
community then we need to begin the dialogue of defining this community.
The high school community must not let it simply be a testing ground for
college arguments and actions but instead it must define and promote it
own unique values. For one thing, I think that it was unfortunate that
only seven high school coaches and very few women judged on Monday.
Having judged the final round of the NDT and most of the college and
high school major tournament final rounds, I only wish that the tabroom
and teams would demand more high school presence on the elim day panels.
It would be nice if you all would let a director like myself judge one
of these rounds every now and then and add the TOC final round to my
resume. I think it is an appropriate send off for college for the
seniors and a set up for the next season for the juniors to have more
high school directors, associate directors, and full time assistants
judging.=20
=20
Congratulations to Aaron, Jas, Lexy, Nick, Ivo, and your posses for your
coaching success. You have produced mega program that serve as models
for the rest of us. It is nice to see such passion, energy and
precision in the coaching ranks. I know that I become a better coach
every time I interact with all of you even if it's not about debate. I
especially want to thank Nick and Lexy for showing me my first dose of
West Coast Love this year-maybe next year I can get a hat. We should
all make a point each year to visit new tournaments-I went to at least
two new tournaments on each coast this year and I encourage all of you
to support each other and create new experiences for yourself.
=20
Congratulations to Ted and Jenny and David for being in the final four
and having two teams play on Monday. Ted, you truly are the Dean of
coaching and your successes are what all coaches hope to achieve
someday. You will be missed after next year and I know that I will be
visiting you in Vegas at least once year and that doesn't include the
tournament weekend or the college tournament weekend or the round robin
weekend or the coaches retreat weekend-my retired home economics teacher
mother told me that retirement just means hosting time. Ted is always
the check for me on one of my biggest concerns. I fear sometimes that
our competitive desires sometimes make us forget that we can learn much
for each other and that the one thing that is sometimes lost in the high
school community at tournaments is the adult interactions. We may have
heard the story of the hot brown more times than we can count but we are
proud to share it with each new debater we bring to Lexington and try to
convince to have their first hot brown. Ted and Alex taught me the
value of making sure that each debater that comes through a program gets
their chance for unique stories and experiences-something to distinguish
them from the great debaters in the past.
=20
I also want to thank the other college coaches, graduate students, and
debaters for taking time out to judge, coach, and recruit. There were
over 25 college directors and coaches. Your interactions truly make the
TOC unlike any other high school tournament. To all the college
community that "adopted" teams for the weekend, I hope that some of you
choose to keep playing the high school game as a career choice and not
just as a weekend hobby. If the job market this year is any indication,
the community needs more coaches (maybe for long term survival). Our
ability to adapt to you as judges will increase the more we can
interact. Please make a point to get as many rounds as you can on the
high school topic before the TOC just like you would expect for the NDT.
=20
Congratulations to all the participants at the TOC. There is a reason
that there are only 68 teams despite the number of qualifying
tournaments. Despite the fact that there were three juniors in the
final round-an inspiration for every sophomore debater in the
country-this is a senior class that will be greatly missed. I have
always applauded JW's attempt to create a proper send off for the teams
and especially the seniors that lose on Monday. There is nothing like a
standing ovation from the community to make someone see that their
career will always be remembered over a single debate. I think it is
unfortunate that more teams do not get a chance to receive this
recognition, that some do not show up for their recognition, and that
the community forgets this important moment too often. =20
=20
I want to say goodbye to my own two senior, Sam Ackels and Robert Foltz.
We may not have gotten a pony but I am proud of your decision to treat
the TOC as the summary of a year of four year debate career and become
public health advocates-nobody could ever prove a substantive reason why
being a public health advocate was a bad idea. Your decision to send
your affirmative to Congress as a paper is a true representation of a
Jesuit student. You have always cared more about the larger community,
personal relationships, and argumentative passion than about competitive
success and you have made me proud to call myself your coach and friend.
I would also like to say goodbye and good luck to all their friends but
they seem to like all of the seniors out there so my comments cover you
all. I started to go through the list but it included nearly everyone
that we debated this year and all my former lab students. Good luck in
college and beyond.
=20
As a community, we have much to celebrate and much more work to be done.
As Jim Copeland quoted, "You may never win a debate if you are true to
debate, but if you are not true to debate you will lose your soul."
Let's make sure the soul of the community stays safe for another year.
=20
Dan Lingel
President of the National Debate Coaches Association
Director of Debate-Jesuit College Prep-Dallas
=20
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<h1><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><!-- Converted from text/enriched format =
-->Reflections
on the TOC by the President of the National Debate Coaches =
Association</span></font></h1>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Almost a week has passed and I was surprised with the lack of =
end of
the year dialogue on the lists that I frequent. I have =
always enjoyed the
debates about the best teams, best people, and the best at each of the =
eight
speeches. I enjoy the yearly need to include the person who would =
be the best
coach, the best teacher, and the person who did the most community =
service. We
talk of being a community but do we really know what that =
is?</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>As I always try to do at tournaments, I spent a great deal of =
time
watching and listening and talking and ranting this past weekend at the =
TOC. I
am about to complete a decade of being a Jesuit educator and I have =
learned the
value of reflection and taking time out to be thankful for the things =
that have
meant something to you. Well the debate community means a great =
deal to me, so
I want to spend a moment celebrating some of the good things about =
debate and
some of the people in it. The TOC is the perfect moment for =
these reflections
because it brings together the best (and sometimes the worst) parts and =
people
of the high school and college communities. The interactions that =
occur seem
to provide a transition “moment” for the seniors either into
college debate or just into college while providing modeling =
opportunities for
the younger debaters—except this year of course where the juniors =
ruled.
It is also one of the few tournaments that promotes adult interaction =
which is
badly needed in our community and one of the few tournaments where =
coaches
gather to make policy for the community.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>First I want to thank JW for his vision and commitment to the
principles and foundations of the tournament plus the special moments =
that
remind us why we play this game—the Julia Burke Award, the Hall of =
Fame, and
the breakfast speeches. JW, you have given much to the high school =
debate
community and the TOC will forever be your legacy. Jim Copeland =
mentioned the
judge preference sheets and philosophy statements and thanks to the work =
of
David Glass and Raaid Ahmad, the NDCA has over 350 pages of philosophies =
are
available online for debaters across the country. JW, I am jealous =
each year
of your ability to attend more debate tournaments than anyone in the =
country
and this is a testament to your concern for the competitive and =
geographic
equity of the qualification system. Thank you again JW for being =
the visionary
and link for both the high school and college communities. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Big thanks to David, Steve, Marie, Aaron, and all the other =
tabroom
staff. (Roger—my thoughts and prayers are with you and your
family—you were missed greatly). Your commitment to =
competitive fairness
while allowing us the time to coach would have made the Head Jayhawk =
proud.
Plus, you had us out of there while it was still light out, which =
allowed for
good food and more opportunities to model college debate to our students
(scouting, strategies, research updates, and even a bit of sleep). =
I have
always thought the high school community should heed JW’s warning =
about </span></font>Midnight Madness (a much too often occurrence in =
high school debate). Marie your words
were very moving at the breakfast and I would love to go to Disney and a
Wildcats Basketball game with you someday. </p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Congratulations to Matt Whipple on your induction to the Hall of =
Fame
and your transition out of debate. Each debater and coach in the =
country
should listen and act on your words of activism from the =
breakfast. As you
prove by using your debate skills as a labor negotiator, every debater =
should
use their skills beyond the competitive forum (not instead of and not as =
street
theater—although there is nothing wrong with argumentative street
theater). We should all be so lucky as to quit coaching still on =
top of the arguments
and environment. You and Marie have it right. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>I disagree with Jim Copeland’s declaration of debate as =
dying.
Yes, many programs may be facing budget cuts, hiring freezes, unfilled =
jobs,
and increased travel expenses but we are seeing more and more programs =
creating
director, associate director, and assistant coaching jobs. The =
debate
community is a powerful clearinghouse for information on fund raising =
and
program development. We are seeing programs and metroplexes =
growing in
numbers. The urban debate league movement is going strong and =
continues to add
programs and if the Berkeley/Harvard weekend was any =
indication—over 1000
policy debaters are competing at the varsity level across the =
country. Junior
high programs are springing up. The debate movement is and will =
always be a
grassroots cause. We will lose and add programs every year and we =
must
continue to support each programs quest for the TOC and debates on =
Monday. While
some street theater may be occurring this is hardly the majority of =
debaters
that our occurring. If the TOC debates are any indication, the =
traditional
view of fiat and plan based advocacy is well entrenched in the =
community. Our
argumentative sophistication and the number of disciplines that it spans =
have never
been as great and more innovations emerge every year. Major =
tournaments
continue to have long waiting lists as more programs attempt to expand =
the
community. The teams in the final four this year represented the =
four major metroplexes—</span></font>Atlanta,
Chicago, Dallas, and the Bay area. The teams at the TOC =
represent more
regions of the country than at any point. We seem to be a living =
example of community.
</p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Congratulations to Maggie, Saad, Michael, and Eli—you =
represented
your schools and metroplexes very well. The fact that there were =
three juniors
in the final round should send a message to every debater out there that =
hard
work, a strategic sense of the game, and some persuasion skills (if you =
listen
to your coaching) can be developed very early in the game. =
Congratulations to
the College Prep and Greenhill mega-programs for producing a final round =
and
post round discussion that will definitely be remembered and I am sure =
talked
about for at least one lab meeting this summer—we have definitely =
added
another discipline for kritik ground and maybe we learned that defense
can’t win championships. I was very impressed that even =
after a debate
like this, the debaters were still writing down the comments of the =
judges</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>I want to applaud the final round panel for spending so much =
time
engaging both the debaters and the especially the audience. We =
heard a lot
about community and relationships in the morning at breakfast but =
apparently we
forgot about it by night time—the listservs and discussion forums =
as well
as the summer workshops serve as good forums for each of us to think =
about what
is a community and how is debate a community. If our arguments and =
actions are
going to be considered in relation to the community then we need to =
begin the
dialogue of defining this community. The high school community =
must not let it
simply be a testing ground for college arguments and actions but instead =
it
must define and promote it own unique values. For one thing, I =
think that it
was unfortunate that only seven high school coaches and very few women =
judged
on Monday. Having judged the final round of the NDT and most of =
the college
and high school major tournament final rounds, I only wish that the =
tabroom and
teams would demand more high school presence on the elim day =
panels. It would
be nice if you all would let a director like myself judge one of these =
rounds
every now and then and add the TOC final round to my resume. I =
think it is an
appropriate send off for college for the seniors and a set up for the =
next
season for the juniors to have more high school directors, associate =
directors,
and full time assistants judging. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Congratulations to Aaron, Jas, Lexy, Nick, Ivo, and your posses =
for
your coaching success. You have produced mega program that serve =
as models for
the rest of us. It is nice to see such passion, energy and =
precision in the
coaching ranks. I know that I become a better coach every time I =
interact with
all of you even if it's not about debate. I especially want to =
thank Nick and Lexy
for showing me my first dose of West Coast Love this year—maybe =
next year
I can get a hat. We should all make a point each year to visit new
tournaments—I went to at least two new tournaments on each coast =
this
year and I encourage all of you to support each other and create new
experiences for yourself.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Congratulations to Ted and Jenny and David for being in the =
final four
and having two teams play on Monday. Ted, you truly are the Dean =
of coaching
and your successes are what all coaches hope to achieve someday. =
You will be
missed after next year and I know that I will be visiting you in Vegas =
at least
once year and that doesn’t include the tournament weekend or the =
college
tournament weekend or the round robin weekend or the coaches retreat
weekend—my retired home economics teacher mother told me that =
retirement
just means hosting time. Ted is always the check for me on one of =
my biggest
concerns. I fear sometimes that our competitive desires sometimes =
make us
forget that we can learn much for each other and that the one thing that =
is
sometimes lost in the high school community at tournaments is the adult =
interactions.
We may have heard the story of the hot brown more times than we can =
count but
we are proud to share it with each new debater we bring to =
</span></font>Lexington
and try to convince to have their first hot brown. Ted and Alex =
taught me the
value of making sure that each debater that comes through a program gets =
their
chance for unique stories and experiences—something to distinguish =
them from
the great debaters in the past.</p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>I also want to thank the other college coaches, graduate =
students, and
debaters for taking time out to judge, coach, and recruit. There =
were over 25
college directors and coaches. Your interactions truly make the =
TOC unlike any
other high school tournament. To all the college community that
“adopted” teams for the weekend, I hope that some of you =
choose to
keep playing the high school game as a career choice and not just as a =
weekend
hobby. If the job market this year is any indication, the =
community needs more
coaches (maybe for long term survival). Our ability to adapt to =
you as judges
will increase the more we can interact. Please make a point to get =
as many
rounds as you can on the high school topic before the TOC just like you =
would
expect for the NDT. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Congratulations to all the participants at the TOC. There =
is a reason
that there are only 68 teams despite the number of qualifying =
tournaments.
Despite the fact that there were three juniors in the final =
round—an
inspiration for every sophomore debater in the country—this is a =
senior
class that will be greatly missed. I have always applauded =
JW’s attempt
to create a proper send off for the teams and especially the seniors =
that lose
on Monday. There is nothing like a standing ovation from the =
community to make
someone see that their career will always be remembered over a single =
debate.
I think it is unfortunate that more teams do not get a chance to receive =
this
recognition, that some do not show up for their recognition, and that =
the
community forgets this important moment too often. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>I want to say goodbye to my own two senior, Sam Ackels and =
Robert
Foltz. We may not have gotten a pony but I am proud of your =
decision to treat
the TOC as the summary of a year of four year debate career and become =
public
health advocates—nobody could ever prove a substantive reason why =
being a
public health advocate was a bad idea. Your decision to send your =
affirmative
to Congress as a paper is a true representation of a Jesuit =
student. You have
always cared more about the larger community, personal relationships, =
and
argumentative passion than about competitive success and you have made =
me proud
to call myself your coach and friend. I would also like to say =
goodbye and
good luck to all their friends but they seem to like all of the seniors =
out
there so my comments cover you all. I started to go through the =
list but it
included nearly everyone that we debated this year and all my former lab
students. Good luck in college and beyond.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>As a community, we have much to celebrate and much more work to =
be
done. As Jim Copeland quoted, “You may never win a debate if =
you are
true to debate, but if you are not true to debate you will lose your
soul.” Let’s make sure the soul of the community stays =
safe for
another year.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Dan Lingel</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>President of the National Debate Coaches =
Association</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Director of Debate—</span></font>Jesuit College =
Prep—Dallas</p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> =
</span></font></p>
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