Nerves a hindrance at speech and debate contest

by Sharlene Irete

Staff Writer

The students politely shook my hand after each competition. It didn't help that you could practically see your breath in the classrooms where they held their debates, but I knew it was also nervous jitters that made their hands so cold.

The debaters can't come into the room until the judge arrives so there were several young men waiting for me in the hall. I had just watched two public forum debates where eight students took more than two hours to argue the pros and cons of government lobbyists, so I told them to get situated while I took a quick restroom break.

The guys were very serious before their debate with one being especially rattled. Someone asked what style of debate I'd prefer.

"This is my first time so all I know to tell you is don't talk fast and remember to have fun," I said as I hurriedly wrote down the names of the next debaters.

"I think I'm a little nervous about being a judge," I told them. "When I ran to the restroom just now, I came out of the stall to wash my hands and thought, 'Those are some funny sinks.' In a second I realized I was in the men's room."

At least they lightened up enough to laugh.

I was already covering the story of the regional speech and debate tournament at Douglas High School on Jan. 5 and 6 for The Record-Courier so I volunteered to judge. I thought I was in over my head after speech advisor Brian McNulty rattled off the subject of one of the debates at the judging clinic, but was relieved after he said the idea behind being a judge is to write constructive criticisms. Nothing to be too nervous about.

The speaker in the first debate I judged spoke for several minutes before I realized what she was saying. I knew the subject and that she represented the pro side, but she spoke so fast it seemed to be a foreign language.

I stopped trying to follow every word and instead judged the following debaters on how convinced they were of their own arguments. I wanted to tell them: Don't be nervous - don't try to put as many words as you can into the allotted time. Make yourself understood and don't cover your face with your notes.

Speech advisors Karen Heine, Paul Mileo, Brian McNulty and the rest of hosts of the two-day debate event were very well organized and provided the volunteers with a spread of food for breakfasts, lunches and dinners. I was the monkey wrench slowing this well-oiled machine down when I took my job writing constructive criticisms a little too seriously and held up the ballot-tallying process.

But on my ballots, instead of just giving them a number ranking, each of the 12 students I heard that day received written comments of their performances.

What I didn't say on the ballots was that I appreciated they chose to get involved in speech and debate. For so many people, having to get in front of a group and talk is just about the most frightening thing they'll ever have to do. Hence so many people making us laugh on "America's Funniest Home Videos" for keeling over during their wedding ceremonies.

I wanted to tell each of those young people: Thank you for having the courage to get up in front of people and speak. Thank you for looking me in the eye and shaking my hand.

I wanted to tell them to continue with speech events because of the head start it gives them for so many things they will have to do in their lifetimes. I also wanted to tell them not to be so nervous that they don't read the signs, like "Men" and "Women," along the way.