The Union University debate team competed at Louisiana Tech University this past weekend and came home with an assortment of titles and a greater sense of confidence.
The debate team won first in overall sweepstakes and in individual debate sweepstakes. Individual Union debaters won first place in novice (Amily Huddleston), junior varsity (Grant McLemore), varsity (Danielle Popson) and pro (Josh Swafford) divisions. Union also won first place speaker in the varsity division.
Rebekah Whitaker, visiting assistant professor of communication arts and director of debate, said that the team has come together in such a beautiful way that makes her excited about the rest of this season. Since it is still early in the season, competition will continue to get more and more difficult, but Whitaker said that the team is hopeful about the rest of the season.
“Overall, I feel like we grew in confidence this weekend as a team,” said Whitaker. “All of the first year debaters made it to elimination rounds. Every single one of them did.”
Whitaker said that some of her favorite moments of the weekend were not the competition itself or the great success of the team. Even though all of those were great, some of her favorite moments took place before competition began, on the seven hour bus trip, and in simple conversations with debaters.
“We hold a service at tournaments that require us to be gone on Sundays, and we have tried to make that something that we open up to other teams as well,” said Whitaker. “Students have found great ways to open Gospel-centered conversations with other debaters, which is the real heart behind what we do.”
Whitaker said that part of what sets Union’s debate team apart is that they constantly strive to debate ethically and remind each other to speak with grace and mercy, a motto of sorts for Whitaker.
“I am extremely proud of the hard work that my teammates have put into this activity, for their accomplishments, and more importantly, for the way they have conducted themselves as ambassadors for Christ on the debate circuit,” said JD Logan, senior political science major and debate team captain.
The debate team takes a weekend off this weekend for fall break, but they jump right back into their season on Oct. 18 with a debate tournament in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Photo courtesy of Union University