Recap courtesy of "Frosty G" Gordie Miller:
The University of Rochester Debate Union had one of the most impressive tournament performances of the season at the inuagural Bard College Debate Tournament this weekend. Held at the campus in scenic and wooded Annandale on the Hudson, New York, the Bard Tournament was the kickoff to the URDU's regional Spring schedule. And what a beginning it was!
UR brought 9 teams to Bard, 2 varsity, 6 junior vrsity and 1 novice team.
The novice team of Brittany Carter and Jason Gershowitz were FINALISTS! they finished in second place to Cornell University (coached by former UR director Sam Nelson) on a hotly contested 2-1 decision. "They talked coming in about winning the tournament, they worked hard in the week leading up to the tournament, and they finished one ballot away from the title, We couldn't be more proud of them and their effort!" declared coach Katie Baxter-Kauf.
In varsity, the team of Ben Wittwer and Buddy Khan contiued ther impressive run of tournmens with a strong SEMIFINALIST showing. Attaining a 6-0 top seed preliminary performance for the second time this season (West point) they too dropped a highly contentious 2-1 decision to season-rival and eventual champion Binghamton University. "These guys just keep on rolling," commented coach Mike Baxter-Kauf, "we anticiapte a note-worthy second semester for them!"
The team of Ron Ro and Mike Gunther stepped up with a commitmment to debate varsity all this semester and got off to an impressive start. they were involved in the talk of the tournment after winning a debate the Vermont coach and judge Helen Morgan Parmett called "one of the best debates I've seen this year!"
It was in JUNIOR VARSITY that the UR saved its best performance. After ocing up the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th seeds in prelims. The teams of Sarah Harvey(who had a birthday on Saturday) and Cathleen Wynne, Pat Hithcock and Rohan Naik, Iskra "Sparky" Miralem and Ryan Bach, and Dan Schatz and David Merkle all won their Quaterfinal Debates and were declared CO-CHAMPIONS!!! The URDU had just "closed out" Semifinals. "A closeout in finals in rare enough, but to close-out semi's that's almost unheard off," noted coach Gordie Miller. Not Since the famous Quaters close-out at Binghamton during the National Championship season of 2001-2002 has the UR had such a strong showing in one division.
The teams of Mary Ellen Chieco and Robyn Schwartz and Jo Smith and Stephanie Yurchyk had very impressive tournents as well. Robyn is novice eligbile but wants the challenge. She and Mary Ellen were seen working hard in the office all week and finished just out of the elimination rounds at 3-3. Jo and Stephanie's 2 wins were outstanding since they came in JV in Stephanie's first tournmant EVER! and Jo's first tournament since march last year.
"This was a very positive start, a tournmanent to go down in URDU lore, but it is only the beginning," longtime coach and first year Director of Debate Ken Johnson humbly said, "We have given a wake a call to the region. If there is one thing we can count on is for the Cornells, Vermonts , Army's and Binghamton's to come out and step it up the rest of the way. If we dont keep it up, they'll take it right away! But I am taking some time to celebrate."
The coaching/judging students Eric Miller, Vlad Vanukov, and Ben Lin were great. They freed up time for the full time coaches to scout other teams and prepare argumentative strategies. " It's these students that show what great team spirit we have at the UR, not debating but still crucial to our debate success" said Ken.
The team is gearing up for a varsity tournmanent at UT-Austin this weekend and the annual Binghamton showdown in two weeks.
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