From October 19-20, the Army Debate Team competed at the Brad Smith Memorial Debate Tournament in Rochester, New York. CDTs Andrew Freeman ’28 and Jack Gerber ’28 won the novice division, while CDTs Patrick Rowe ’28 and Alex Anteen ’28 secured second place. In the open division, CDTs Randy Story ’27 and James Song ’27 were finalists, with several other teams advancing to the semifinals. The team also earned numerous speaker awards and is now preparing to host the 78th annual West Point Debate Tournament in November.
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Excerpt and image taken from DCA Weekly Blast.
FAQ Army Debate Team
Where did the national debate tournament begin?
The National Debate Tournament began at the United States Military Academy in 1947. For its first twenty years, it was organized and conducted by the academy at West Point.
How many colleges participated in the first tournament?
At the first tournament in 1947, twenty-nine colleges participated in five “seeding” rounds and four elimination rounds over a three-day period. Some of the tournament features were that no school would meet a school within five hundred miles of itself during the seeding rounds and that no coach would judge a school from his or her own district.
What debate traditions originated at West Point?
Many traditions were started at West Point that year, some of which remain today: the “big board”, oral announcement of round pairings, cadet escorts for each team, teams for each debate meeting under the banner of the affirmative team, and team signs in the rooms.
Did Women participate in the first debate tournaments?
The National Debate Tournament in 1947 marked the first time in the Military Academy’s history that women competed with cadets in any field.
When did the National Debate Tournament start to rotate hosts?
In 1967, the National Debate Tournament entered a new era as the American Forensic Association, the national professional organization of forensics educators, assumed responsibility for the tournament. The NDT was moved from West Point and has been hosted by a different school every year since. However, three schools (State University of West Georgia, Miami University of Ohio, and the University of Utah) have hosted it twice. Control of the tournament became the responsibility of a national committee elected by those schools supporting the tournament.
Did West Point host the National Debate Tournament but not participate?
In 1954, the Committee announced that the national debate topic for 1954-55 would be “Resolved, that the United States should extend diplomatic recognition to the Communist Government of China.” Two months later, the Department of the Army advised the Military Academy that cadets would not publicly debate this topic. The cadet debate team chose other topics to use, and they petitioned the committee to approve an alternative national topic. The Committee was unable to approve the petition. The Military Academy and the Cadet Debate Council still held the Ninth National Debate Trounmanet at West Point as scheduled. The West Point Debate Council would, of course, not compete. The debate team went on to win the tournament and the Sigurd S. Larmon Trophy the following year.
