2nd Place, 2nd Speaker at Harvard Round Robin

• • The last of the four major national round robins, the Harvard Debate Council Round Robin brings together fourteen of the country's best teams to compete against one another on the campus of Harvard University. Teams are divided into two "pods" of seven teams. After six rounds—one against each of the other teams in the pod—the teams with the best records in each pod advance to a final round.Woodward seniors Rahim Shakoor and Jason Sigalos compiled a 5-1 record in the preliminary rounds, defeating teams from Edgemont (NY), Edina (MN), Kinkaid (TX), Mountain Brook (AL), and Stratford Academy (GA) while suffering a lone defeat to Greenhill (TX).Advancing to the final round, Woodward was defeated by another team from Greenhill on a 3-0 decision to finish in second place.In addition to their team honor, Jason finished as the Round Robin's second speaker behind David Herman of Georgetown Day School (DC). In the season's four major round robins, Woodward's worst finish was fourth:3rd Place, Greenhill Round Robin

  • 4th Place, Northwestern Round Robin

  • 1st Place, Pace Round Robin

  • 2nd Place, Harvard Round Robin

Jason also finished in the top three speakers at all four Round Robins:

• • 3rd Speaker, Greenhill Round Robin

  • 1st Speaker, Northwestern Round Robin

  • 1st Speaker, Pace Round Robin

  • 2nd Speaker, Harvard Round Robin

This capped off one of Woodward's best ever season-long performances at the round robin tournaments.

With seven big debates already under their belt, Rahim and Jason competed in the Harvard National Invitational over the rest of President's Day Weekend. Finishing the preliminary rounds with a 6-1 record, the War Eagles were bounced in the first elimination round by Beacon (NY). Jason finished as the tournament's 3rd overall speaker.