Viewmont Debate

There's something about a debate tournament that makes me excited, makes my adrenaline rush, and call me a nerd, gets me ready to argue. On Saturday I did my first tournament in PF. PF is Public Forum. It is a debate with a partner on a topic that most people can understand. For example, last months was "Resolved: Direct Popular Vote should replace electoral vote in presidential elections." for me this was a very intriguing topic. Any way. Carissa and I are partners for this. However, she has competed before, last year in a different debate. In this debate we are both novices, but because she is JV we had to compete in Open.

Our first round went quite well we thought. Before our opponents came in the room we heard one say "Oh no, I'm a novice" or something along those lines. Carissa and I looked at each other and I'm sure the same thought I had was racing through her head: "We are too, we'll see how this goes." We sat down and began. The debate went well. Carissa and I were thinking along the same lines, in sync it was very cool. Then our opponents brought up slavery: not sure why, it doesn't have anything to do with the resolution. Anyway, going out of that debate we felt we did fairly well, we were even 60% sure that we won.

We waited about 1 1/2 hours for postings to go up again. Finally they did. And we were off again. This time we were in the room first again. Our opponents showed up, 2 guys again. This time it was a more interesting round, and again Carissa and I were thinking in sync. It was a good round. they had questions for us, we had questions for them and our point got across. again, we were 60 % sure we won. Quite honestly it was a good round.

We waited another 1 hour for postings to go up. This time we were on 'B' flight which meant we were the second people to go in.  we were delayed because there were so many judge mix ups. Our fellow PF team from Davis came over and we talked, and talked, not about PF either. we talked about the craziest topics and in 45 minutes we became friends. That's all you need, a common ground and some 'different' people like us to be friends. Finally, I repeat, Finally, A flight ended and we were able to go in. We had a judge who didn't really know what do. So our opponents and us were obliged to take over. So we did. One of our opponents spoke at lightening speed when reading their case and the other one had a voice that bugged both Carissa and me. But we had the most invigorating argument so far that day. And coming out of it we were 51% sure that we won that argument too.

In the middle of our third round we had some people try to walk in. So we knew that postings were up for the 4th round. We were slightly worried that we were on A flight. So we were practically running downstairs to check postings. Of course we were A flight. So we ran upstairs again. we rushed to the room and there were our opponents and the judge, waiting. so much for being early. We sat down and we began.

From the first paragraph of their case I sat in my seat stunned. I could hardly flow their case. it was in depth and hard to understand. then we did our case and then their first speaker practically grilled me in crossfire. then it was their second speakers turn and then Carissa's. In Carissa's crossfire they asked us our 'methodology' on our poll. Oh my goodness I DON'T CARE! was my thought. So that whole round I felt  like my head was under water and I didn't know how to get it above water. that and they analyzed what we had to do and what they had to do to win. that was uncalled for.

By the end we knew we were being power matched because our rounds just kept getting harder and harder. After our last round we talked to everyone on our team. It was so much fun to be around such nerdy, funny people.

So the results. Ms. A told us going into the award ceremonies that Carissa and I had won all of our rounds going into our 4th round. we weren't in the top six. the thing was. we only lost our 4th debate by 1 point, and those people ended up being the first place people. A little disappointing, yes, but for our first time debating in PF; it was pretty good. So what do I have to say about debating and debaters: fun people, fun times, interesting debates, and an all around good time.

Short Story

What if you had to take 10-15 vocabulary words and turn them into a cohesive short story? That's what I had to do, here it is . . .

Lost in Time

The sun setting behind the formidable castle sent a chilling shiver down my spine. Where was I? How had I gotten here? Just five minutes before I’d been sitting in the commons of my High School eating lunch with a group of at least twenty people. Now I was standing in a dirty village in what looked like medieval times. I looked beside me and there was Galen. He had been sitting across the group, so how were we the only ones to be here?

At the same time he looked at me, the same look of confusion that had to be evident on my face, was on his face. We had literally crossed centuries of time, how was this even possible? What power could have done this?

“Dacia?” I was jerked to the present as Galen said my name.

“Yes?”

“Where do you think we are?”

“It looks like a city described in a romance narrative.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too.” As he was talking, I finally looked down at what I was wearing. What was this? I’d left home this morning wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. Now I was wearing a rich full length dress in the medieval style. I looked at Galen again. He was dressed in a rich tunic and leggings. We looked like nobles of the time. What was going on?

“Lady Dacia? Lord Galen?” I whipped around with Galen doing so a second later. There stood a man with head bowed and clothes that showed he lived in poverty.

 “Yes?” Galen asked

“Do you require assistance?”

“Yes” I answered, “do you know how we came to be here?”

“No, ma’am you seemed to appear out of nowhere.” The man answered, head still bowed.

“Why don’t you raise your head?” I asked. The Man gasped.

“That would be a serious affront milady. I could be put to death for that.”

“Oh, All right then. Can you show us the way to the castle?” I figured that that would be where we needed to go. The man was very compliant and showed us where to go. As Logan and I trudged up the hill we discussed our situation.

“I feel like we’re in the middle of a legend containing a Knight Errant and the Holy Grail. You know, like Lancelot or Perceval” Galen said.

“Yup. That’s exactly it, but it seems like those stories were one giant hyperbole, already it doesn’t seem as great.” I answered.

We walked a little farther, my skirts constantly in the way. Finally I had to let it all out.
                “Ugh!” Galen looked at me strangely.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, ever chivalrous.

“My skirt! Why did they wear these things so long! They get in the way. And this corset makes it hard to breathe!” He looked at me strangely again.  I don’t think I’ve ever seemed so frustrated around him before.

“Would it help if I carried you?” That suggestion was so quixotic it made me smile, but there was no way I was going to seem the damsel in distress.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I think I’ll make it.” He smiled; he knew what was going on. Then there was the castle. It was juxtaposed with a large oak tree that was so large it almost overshadowed the turrets on the castle. As we approached the broad castle doors we glanced nervously at one another. What was behind those large doors?

Galen put an arm around my shoulders and gave me a brief hug. I looked up at him. He smiled wanly at me and didn’t release me. He reached up with one hand and rapped on the door. We stood there for a few seconds waiting for an answer. His arm squeezed harder. Once again I looked into his face, he looked apprehensive and my face must have been showing worry.

One question was constantly crossing my mind. What were we going to do in a medieval setting, we don’t know how to speak, how to act, how to . . . anything! Just as the gates began to open I blinked and the next second I was once again sitting in the commons at the school. I blinked a couple of times and then turned a full circle looking for anyone. There was no one around me. But as I came full circle there was Galen across the way.

He, too, was looking bemused. I walked toward him and he met me halfway. He pulled me into a hug.

“What just happened?” I asked as he released me.

“I don’t know Dacia, that was the strangest experience of my life.” He answered.

I looked around wondering where everybody could have gone.

“How long do you thing we were there?” I asked. Galen glanced at his watch.

“I think we disappeared at about 12:30. Right now it’s 5:30. We were gone for 5 hours.”

I ran to where my backpack should have been. And then I stopped up short. It wasn’t there. Strange. It should have been there. I turned around slowly and looked at Galen.

“Is your bag gone to?” I asked slowly

“Yes”

“Hmmm . . .” I contemplated this, preoccupied in my thoughts.

“Dacia?”  Once again Galen pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked at him questioningly.

“Do you think that there were a Dacia and Galen from that time that looked like us and we just switched places?” He asked.

“It makes sense. That peasant man knew exactly who we were. How else could he have known? So if they took our places, where would they have gone?”

“I don’t know, because they wouldn’t know how to drive or how to get our homes.”

I sighed, “Well we might as well look for our stuff before we figure out how to get home”

So off we went. Juxtaposed we walked down the hall searching for our bags, searching for answers, searching for sanity.