Nick Chiu

The Parkway West Debate Team, including 10 debaters that will be attending the National Debate Tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana this June.

Keeping up with tradition, the Parkway West Debate team will head to Debate Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana this summer.

“We did really well last year and we hope to do well again,” junior Sarah Burack said. “We have a lot of confidence and everyone is really supportive of each other.”

The national debate competition is unlike any other. While the structure and the format of the debates are the same, the energy is completely different. Plus, students have to qualify in order to compete.

“Everyone is really intense and cut throat,” senior Joanne Yu said. “They come across as really mean, and it’s hard since you are by yourself when you debate. But we qualified 10 people this year, which is really exciting.”

Seniors Humza Mian, Scott Lasky, Andrew George, Joanne Yu, Greg Piccirillo, and juniors Sarah Burack, Yasmin Younis, Rigel Robinson, Keerthi Gondi, Laura Santangelo, all qualified for Debate Nationals this summer. The team will practice their cross examinations, opening and closing statements, but they also plan on taking advantage of the opportunity to bond.

“While we are there, we have made plans to go shopping together,” Burack said. “The competition is a week long, so we want to have outfits for the entire week. We also will eat breakfast together each morning before we go to competition. We are basically one, big family.”

No matter the competition, there are still some light hearted moments that relieve the tension.

“Last year I was walking in the city of Indianapolis in a dress and high heels and my heel got caught on a grate that was on the ground. I fell on the ground and some people started laughing at me. It was really embarrassing,” Yu said.