Rochester Century High School Athletics

Each fall season, the Classic Debate League has two topics.  The first is chosen in August by the Coaches.  The second is voted upon by the students/teams and will be debated the second part of the season through the State Championship Tournament.

Topic 1 for the 2021 Fall Season is:

Resolved:  The United States Constitution should be amended to limit the term for future US Supreme Court justices to 18 years.

TOPIC GUIDANCE from the LEAGUE:  The focus of the debate should not be on the exact length of the term limits nor the exact process of implementation.  The focus of the debate should be on the merits of term limits for the Supreme Court. 

Topic 2:  TBD and to be voted on by the Classic League Debate Teams in October.

The 2020 Season Topics were - 

First Season Topic:  Resolved:  The United States’ use of the atomic bombs against Japan was justified.

Second Topic:  Resolved:  A single-payer system is preferable to reform within the existing private-public health insurance system in the United States.

How It Works:

First as a new debater we'd like to see you at an orientation meeting on September 8 for orientation at 7:00.  

If you'd like to join debate email one of the coaches or captains and we'll connect you to the right people to get in the loop.  Meetings are Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.  The first all group meeting for new and returning debaters will be September 13th, 2021.

Are you returning and wish you could start preparing now?  The coaches recommend you start gathering evidence about Topic 1.  Or feel free to write up an aff. or neg. case for review by the captains.

More information for new debaters:  Debate tournaments are held each Saturday from October to December, with a break on MEA weekend and Thanksgiving weekend.  

Most of the 8 tournaments are held out of town (online during the pandemic).  For traveling tournaments - Buses typically depart at 6 AM on the scheduled Saturday and return to Century usually before 6 PM.  Debaters MUST ride the bus.  Volunteer parent judges can ride the bus or meet the team at the school.  The State Class League Debate Tournament, traditionally held in South St. Paul, is the first weekend of December.  The season ends and banquet is held wrapping everything up.

The Classic League Debate Format:  Students debate with a partner in 4 rounds per tournament, each round lasting approximately 1 hour. The team defends the resolution (arguing the affirmative) in two rounds, and negates the resolution (arguing the negative) in two rounds. Judges score each round, assigning points for effective argumentation, adherence to procedure, and speaker performance. Team and individual rankings are established, and winners are recognized at an awards ceremony at the conclusion of each tournament.  All students start in Novice and progress each year to Junior Varsity and eventually Varsity depending on performance and skill.  Parents are expected to commit time to judge and are trained to do so.  This is a requirement to keep fees low for this activity.

2021 Classic Debate Team Awards

October 2-Topic 1

October 9-Topic 1

Congratulations to Danielle and Dean Wang for their honorable mention in JV.  Danielle had a second place speaker award!

Congratulations to Ethan Zhang and Annika Bartucz on their honorable mention in Novice Classic and their high speaker placings as well.

October 16-Topic 1

Congratulations to Erik Hill, Golden Peng and Vincent Olteanu for their honorable mention in Novice Classic!

and to Felix Lu and Ethan Zhang who got an honorable mention in JV.

November 6-Topic 2

Congratulations to Brooke Blegen and Reetu Purung who took First Place in Novice B and to Erik Hill and Golden Peng who came in at 5th place with an honorable mention!

Rachel Taunton and Sarah Yilma got an honorable mention coming in 6th place in JV.

November 13-Topic 2

Congratulations to Ethan Zhang (Novice A) and Nicole Yang (Novice B) who got speaker awards.

November 20-Topic 2

Minnesota Classic League State Tournament

Dec. 3-4-Topic 2

The 2021 Upcoming Season Dates are:

2021 Classic Debate Calendar

October 2-Topic 1  Online

October 9-Topic 1 Online

October 16-Topic 1 Online

November 6-Topic 2 TBD

November 13-Topic 2 TBD

November 20-Topic 2 TBD 

Dec. 3-4-Topic 2 State-South St. Paul (TBD in terms of online)

Please note: Parent volunteers are appreciated, and may serve as judges. Training is provided. Contact Coach Krista Boston or Parent Advisor Shulan Tian, if you're interested!

2020

• School Sweepstakes - Governor's Cup - 5th Place
• State Champions - Junior Varsity Jenny Yan and Rita Dai
• Jenny Yan - 3rd Place Speaker Award - Junior Varsity

2018

• Hemanth Asirvatham - 2nd Place Speaker Award - Junior Varsity

2017

• Hemanth Asirvatham - 4th Place Speaker Award - Novice

2016

• Kyle Hooten and Austin McCoy -  2nd Place out of 53 JV teams at the Minnesota State Debate Tournament.
• Kyle Hooten - 1st Place JV Speaker Award out of 106 debaters at the Minnesota State Debate Tournament.

2014

• State Champions: Roshini Asirvathan and Ghanashyam Unnikrishnan - Novice