[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]
Return to main CEDA-L Archive Page

Memories

Here are some of my favorite moments:

1)  GSL 88?  Liz Wolf and I are still relative unknowns in our first season
together as we prepare to enter a round against Korcock and Parsons; who we
are told have not dropped a ballot through 2 complete tournaments on the new
topic and are running an Aff. on condom adds.  Within 20 minutes of picking
up this ballot against Mike and Hoss Liz and I feel like national celebs
because of the news that we have knocked off the top team in CEDA.  I will
always be in debt to these two legends fro literally creating an instant
reputation for me and my first outstanding partner.

2)  Awaiting the final round at the Johnson County Jr. NDT (drug testing
topic) against SEO we nervously listen as Ronnie Wilson is asked to call the
toss and screams out "negative" as the coin is in the air.

3)  Nationals at USC we get the honor of debating Lapham/West and
Hanson/Deforeest in prelims (our only two losses) and drop the most painful
split decision I ever felt to Phillipi/McCullom in Octos.  I get to watch as
Liz receives her trophy as 5th speaker.

4)  Reno, one week before nats, Dave Cooley tells me and partner Kenny Lee to
walk in and challenge Mallard and Hoe to run their Greenhouse case (is that
the one that won the final round at Nat's?).  I finally feel that I have seen
debate as it was intended  as we run 16 minutes of straight case in
constructives (more cards than I have ever read) and prove to Cooley that he
was right - we could beat that case, in the best debate round I ever had.
 Josh and Chuck took up the gauntlet, of course, and got us back on a split
in quaters (a round I will never let Todd Graham forget).

Having been lucky enough to debate with two great partners there are, of
course, many other great memories.  But these I think are my favorites.

In regard to my picks for the greatest debaters of the past (that I got to
see) there are a couple of teams and a couple of individuals I would add.
 First the teams:  There are three West-coast (sort of) teams that I think
deserve inclusion.  The first is Mark Jones and Kimo Ahyun of Sacramento
State.  An excellent balance of talent, skill, and great personality.  they
were fun to watch and compete against.  Second; the best (yet often
overlooked) UCLA team of the post Holdorf era - Scott Stratman and Dave
Smith.  these two individuals exemplified what competitive debate is supposed
to be.  They were, smart, talented, skillful, hardworking, and two of the
nicest people who ever took a flow.  They were the best team from UCLA that I
ever saw.  And finally Dave Sproule and Melinda Murphy (then Riding) of So.
Utah.  Who walked in to a lame So. Cal tournametn with lame So. Cal judges
and lost 5 prelims yet were still persuasive enough to win speaker awards.

In the category of great individual debaters, the two I would add to the list
of all-time greats are my two former partners Liz Wolf and Ken Lee.  No-one
ever debated as well without evidence as Liz.  She had a style that everyone
liked and wanted to emulate.  Ken Lee is the one person that I would put up
against Mark West as the best I ever saw.  I don't think there has ever been
a debater who was smarter, could think faster, or be more persuasive in a
round than Ken.  And without a doubt there has never been a funnier debater.
 If I could create a model composite debater, I wouldn't have to because
every skill and quality I would want I saw in Kenny Lee.

Well those are my rambling thoughts regarding the history of CEDA debate as I
experienced it.  There have obviously been many great debaters in the history
of our activity and I just wanted to make sure that these few did not go
unremembered.

Ken Sherwood

DOF - LACC
Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
Return to main CEDA-L Archive Page