Press release
Last week Cross Roads High School students traveled to Austin to participate in the UIL State Congressional Debate Championships held Jan. 13-14. The students earned a right to compete in the tournament by sweeping the UIL 2A ESC Region 7 Congressional Debate competition on Nov. 10.
Over 350 students began the Congressional Debate competition in their UIL district competitions in 2A across the State of Texas. Only 24 students advanced to State competition. Only 18 students advanced to the Final Congressional Session.
The students, junior Luke Carnes, sophomore Alex Dickson and junior Rachael Cooper, competed in the State Congressional Debate two preliminary sessions on Tuesday on the University of Texas at Austin campus. As a result of their preliminary finish, all three students advanced to the two Final Congressional Debate Sessions held at the State Capitol Building on Wednesday.
These academic competition students were assisted at the State Congressional Debate tournament by their fellow debate students junior Katie Harris, freshman Julia Harris, junior Hunter McCulloch and junior Will Van Dusen with research burdens and argument development.
When the final results were tallied, the Cross Roads Debate team came out on top in 2A based on lowest overall ranks for teams with three competitors advancing to the Final Session. Cross Roads finished with a total rank count of 17, followed closely by West Hardin – Saratoga with a total rank count of 19. Three Rivers and Meridian finished third and fourth respectively with total team rank counts of 32 and 45.
Individually, the Cross Roads Debate team was also able to grab hold of State Individual Medals. Cross Roads was the only team in 2A to finish with two individual UIL State medalist. Luke Carnes finished with a bronze medal (third overall) and Alex Dickson finished sixth in 2A State Congressional Debate. Medals are awarded to the top six finishers. Alex was recognized as the top female competitor in Congressional Debate in 2A. Rachael Cooper assisted with the team’s State Championship finish by ranking 8th individually in the State.
Coach Chris Dickson said, “I am excited to see the students’ hard work and dedication to their academics pay off. These students have attended several tournaments and practiced daily to finish at this high level. I am excited to see their goals come to fruition.”
UIL Congressional Debate models the legislative process of democracy, specifically, the United States Congress. Within this mock legislative assembly competition, contestants draft legislation (proposed laws and position statements) submitted to the tournament, and they research the docket of bills and resolutions dealing with real-world social and political policies prior to the contest to prepare their speeches. At the tournament, students caucus in committees, deliver formal discourse on the merits and disadvantages of each piece of legislation, and vote to pass or defeat the measures they have examined. Parliamentary procedure forms structure for the discourse, and students extemporaneously respond to others’ arguments over the course of a session. Judges evaluate contestants for their research and analysis of issues, argumentation, skill in asking and answering questions, use of parliamentary procedure and clarity and fluency of speaking. Each Congress session is approximately 3 hours.
The team’s next competition will be Wednesday, Jan. 21, as they compete for the district crown in Cross-Examination (CX) debate in District 19-2A.