On March 7, junior TJ Kilcullen went to the State tournament for Debate. He, along with coach Dustin Zubert and the rest of the team, went to Harper College to perform.
The team had six different competitions throughout the year. The team has one competition each month until the State competition. There are 12 different topics that could be brought up at the competition. That means that the team has 24 different stances that the team must research. There were about 20 students in the room that competed against Kilcullen.
“Before every tournament, we have 2-3 weeks to research the topic,” Zubert said.
The topics that are discussed at the events can vary from many different things. The topics can touch on issues in the state of Illinois, the United States, and world issues. They must research these topics thoroughly to have the best stances for their arguments.
“The topics that we debated were domestic drone restrictions in the U.S. and slavery in the country Qatar,” Kilcullen said.
Kilcullen is looking to extend his debate career in college. He will also be returning to the team next year, and he will be looking to place at the State competition. Junior Ryan Zunker will also be a returning member who will more than likely make it to the State tournament.
“It helps me with my public speaking skills and allows me to prepare for college and future jobs,” Kilcullen said.