Emory University's Barkley Forum is HERE!
Emory's Barkley Forum
Day 2 - Pairings Out for Rounds 3 & 4
Pairings for both rounds 3 and 4 have been released. This is a bit unorthodox as power matching normally is done on a round by round basis. However, the next two rounds are based on the first two rounds. As such, our two 1-1 teams on paper have a much tougher path these next two rounds as they both will face TOC bid teams both rounds with a total of 12 bids including the team with the most bids in the nation with 8. All four of our previous losses were against teams with a combined 16 TOC bids. Our 0-2 team will face two additional 0-2 teams. However, all teams at this tournament are tough so do not let the records fool you. There are quite a number of TOC bid teams, like Reuben & Anushka, who are 0-2. Still, they may be in the stronger position to come out of round four still in contention. Stay tuned.
This weekend, Raider Debate is sending three Varsity teams to compete at Emory's University's 57th Annual Barkley Forum. The tournament has 115 of the top teams in the country competing for some of the last TOC bids on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. TOB bids are given out to all teams reaching the Octo Final Round. There will be six preliminary rounds with all 6-0s, 5-1s, and a majority of the 4-2 teams breaking to Double Octo Finals. Historically, Emory has been one of the toughest tournaments for Raider Debate. However, we have three solid teams each capable of breaking and one with a TOC bid already. So Go Raiders!
Emory University Scoreboard
Milton Tournament
Priya Awarded Top JV Speaker
This weekend, Raider Debate competed at Milton High School for their annual Eagle Classic Debate Tournament. We a huge contingent and borke three Varsity teams with one reaching the Quarter Finals. Additionally, Priya Sharm won top speaker in the Jr. Varsity Division. Great job!
Additionally, we got to see the only pairing of brothers Reuben Lack and Aaron Lack as they broke a new performance Aff and were quit successul in doing so coming away with a winning 3-2 record but missing the breaks on points. Still, everyone had a great time. Out next major tournament is next weekend at Emory University - a TOC bid tournament.
Milton Tournament Scoreboard
Bix Lex Tournament
Tucker & James Finish as Octofinalists
We had a successful tournament in Boston with the team of James Pitman & Tucker Boyce breaking with a 4-2 record before losing their Octa Final Round. Two other teams finished with a respectable 3-3 record in this highly competitive TOC tournament. Nice job Raider Debaters.
Next week the teams competes locally at Milton High School. We still have two additional TOC tournaments on the schedule - one at Emory University and the other at the University of Georgia. Finally we will have our state and national championship tournaments.
Bix Lex Tournament Scoreboard
Fall Season in Review
Best Season is Raider Debate History Already!
The growth and development of our Raider Debate program has certainly been visible in the strong performance of all of our debaters this fall season. Despite still having additional tournaments left in the spring as well as Championship tournaments, they have already surpassed our teams of past years. Certainly the hard work of our debaters working as a team are deserving of credit, but our Coach Adam Smiley must be commended as well. He has built a program from the ground up. In the past four years, we have gone from a tiny team that lacked more experienced debaters that competed in 11 tournaments and garnered 6 distinctions, to a team that has plenty of experienced debaters mentoring of junior debaters. As such, this season we are scheduled to compete in at least 17 tournaments (perhaps more) and have already garnered 19 distinctions. Of those distinctions are a coveted TOC bid, four Varsity Wins, 3 JV Wins, and 4 Novice Wins. Additionally, debaters have won three top speaker awards.
What is next? We have three more TOC tournaments on the schedule (Bix Lex, Emory amd UGA), one more local tournament at Milton (last chance to qualify for State), Novice/JV State as well as National Championships, our Varsity State Championship (we already have qualified 4 teams), and, perhaps, our first appearance at the National Tournament of Champions. I put together a chart of our history at various tournaments. It is a bit sloppy and not comprehensive, but it highlights our best showings at these tournaments and is helpful to see how far we have come. Enjoy!
Ohio Valley - Lexington, Kentucky
Alan & Aditya Win Novice Finals
Reuben & Anushka Break to Varsity Doubles
Our Novice team of Alan Hesu & Aditya Sood won the Novice Division of the Ohio Valley debate tournament today on a 3-0 ballot over Chattahoochee. Alan & Aditya lost only one round. Put another way, they won 13 ballots and lost 2. Congratulations on an excellent tournament.
The team of Reuben Lack & Anushka Panday finished the prelim rounds at Ohio Valley with a strong 4-2 record but dropped their Double Octofinal round on an 0-3 ballot. Great showing Raiders!
In the Novice division, four of our five teams broke with three finishing prelims at 5-1. The team of Aditya & Alan and Lexi and Ryan won their Octofinal rounds on 3-0 ballots. Alan & Aditya were next pair against Lexi & Ryan and thus, by the rules, "walked" over the lower seeded team from the same school on to the Semis tomorrow morning. Two other teams, Yvette & Jatin and Apurva & Rajiv dropped and finished as Octofinalists.
Ohio Valley Scoreboard

Reuben Lack & Anushka Panday finished the 41st Annual New York Invitational Debate Tournament as Semifinalist and secured a bid to the National Tournament of Champions (TOC). Reuben & Anushka went 4-2 in the preliminary rounds and were 3-0 in the break rounds before having to leave early to catch a return flight back to Atlanta. This is only the second TOC bid in Raider Debate history and we are all proud of their accomplishment. The next TOC bid tournament will be in a few weeks in Illinois at the Glenbrooks.