Junior Krish Bhagat has been on the Debate team for three years and has competed in more than 20 tournaments. Over the years, Bhagat realized how passionate he is about Lincoln Douglas (LD) Debate. “LD seemed like a perfect fit for me. I was the only person who could feel the rush of debating LD, especially during my sophomore year, which is not common at all,” Bhagat said.
Krish Bhagat
Junior Krish Bhagat has been on the competitive speech and debate team for three years. Bhagat is now on the varsity team and captain of the Lincoln Douglas Debate (LD), where students compete in a one-on-one debate after being given a resolution.
“Lincoln Douglas is definitely [my] favorite. With Lincoln Douglas, you have full control of your debate since it’s one-on-one. You have this world of communication of various ideas you may not receive in any other debate,” Bhagat said.
Arguing for a side of the resolution while incorporating a value’s significance is a struggle for many debaters. Understanding how to debate LD was difficult for Bhagat to master.
“It’s hard having good debates with your opponent if they don’t understand [the argument], which makes it not so fun. That makes it hard to convince the judge they’re doing something wrong. Communication with the judges is hard because I like to make it worthwhile, but usually, they just want to go home,” Bhagat said. “There’s a lot of work that has to go into it. It’s rewarding work for the full version of the lesson, but it takes time.”
Over the years, Bhagat received medals, certificates, a plaque for ‘Best Novice Debater’ in his freshman year and the Unsung Hero award as a sophomore. But he also finds reward in his progress throughout his debate career.
“I have progressed through the years, becoming more confident and being able to think more quickly on my feet. I put in a lot of work, even as a novice. It just paid off, especially since during COVID-19 [my freshman year], I had nothing else to look forward to,” Bhagat said.
After competing in more than 10 tournaments, Bhagat appreciates the opportunities debating provides.
“Communication is such an integral part of our society. It teaches you not only how to have a place on issues and be able to research and argue but also form your ideas about topics that you may not have ever thought about but still affect you. The whole experience of speech and debate is something that stuck with me because debate teaches you how to think critically about issues as well as how to have a voice and go into a room and make people feel things and in today’s society; that’s the best thing that we bring,” Bhagat said.