Struthi Ilangovan, LASA '20, October 14, 2019
Q1: What inspired you to first join the debate team at your school?
A: As silly as it sounds, I went to my first debate team meeting, because we were promised cookies. However, I soon found that the countless hours of research, the intense competition, and the intoxicating stress all exhilarated me in a way nothing else could. Growing up in a home of immigrants meant that my parents did not care about who our senator or state representative was. My family dynamic made me ignorant about the laws passed around me, making me impervious to the political sphere. I loved that debate made me a more politically involved and socially aware person.
Q2: What is your favorite argument in debate and what are your pro-tips to debating that argument?
A: My favorite debate argument is definitely T-USFG (otherwise known as framework). My best tips for debating is this argument is to not be scared by the affirmative team’s buzzwords. It’s very easy to intimidated by the long words that the other team will throw at you. However, it’s important that you think through the terminal impact of each argument, because more times than not, the jargon is actually masking an argument that you know how to answer. Another tip is that you should think about why is debate is important. Prior to these debates, I always take like 5 minutes to just reflect on why debate is important to me and what skills I gain out of debates about policies specifically. This always helps me explain my impacts better.
Q3: What is the most important lesson policy debate has taught you?
A: The most important lesson policy debate has taught me is process over product. Achieving tangible results used to be a driving force in my life. Debate, however, broke down all notions of what I know success to be. As I became a more experienced debater, I stopped caring who my opponents were, because I recognized that the process of debating was priceless. Because of debate, I always strive to know about the world and that mindset of always wanting to know more is much more valuable than any trophy or ranking or bid.
Q4: If you could ensure all novice debaters knew two things going into their first tournament, what would they be?
Answer: I would definitely tell them to not worry about the results of this tournament. Some of the most successful debaters I know all went 0-4 at their first tournament. I would remind them to value the process of debating more than the products of their debates. The other thing I would want to remind novices is to stay kind. There’s going to be a point where the rivalry between schools and the pressure to out-debate teams across the nation gets too much to handle. However, it’s important that they stay compassionate people before they become good debaters.
Q5: Any final words of encouragement for the novices embarking on their journey?
A: Y’all are going to kill it. There are so many older debaters that believe in you (like me!) and if you give it the time, debate will change your life in unimaginable ways!