ARCADIA,CA-Vishwa Shriya Padigepati who graduated from First Avenue Middle School in Arcadia this year attended the National Speech and Debate Association’s 2015 tournament in Dallas, Texas, where she was declared the National Champion Runner-up in the Middle School Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Shriya, who competed with Temple City’s Kudos College of Youth Leadership, had to win ten rounds,
including four single-elimination rounds, to claim the coveted prize.
“Shriya was facing off against the best young debaters from around the country,” explains one of Kudos’ debate coaches, Will Gingold. “To win at that level, a debater’s critical thinking skills have to be razor-sharp, her rhetorical skills have to be polished, and her preparation has to be extensive. On all three counts, Shriya clearly rose to the occasion.”
“Lincoln-Douglas is often called a ‘value debate’— by which is meant, it’s a debate about philosophy,” says Gingold. “Debaters are presented with ethical propositions that they’re then tasked with defending or attacking, using formal logic, evidence, and persuasive techniques.”For the national tournament, the proposition being debated was, “Resolved: That inaction in the face of injustice makes an individual morally culpable.”
The National Speech and Debate tournament is a week long High School & Middle School Championship Forensics Competition hosted by the National Speech and Debate Association.
“Shriya was facing off against the best young debaters from around the country,” explains one of Kudos’ debate coaches, Will Gingold. “To win at that level, a debater’s critical thinking skills have to be razor-sharp, her rhetorical skills have to be polished, and her preparation has to be extensive. On all three counts, Shriya clearly rose to the occasion.”
“Lincoln-Douglas is often called a ‘value debate’— by which is meant, it’s a debate about philosophy,” says Gingold. “Debaters are presented with ethical propositions that they’re then tasked with defending or attacking, using formal logic, evidence, and persuasive techniques.”For the national tournament, the proposition being debated was, “Resolved: That inaction in the face of injustice makes an individual morally culpable.”
The National Speech and Debate tournament is a week long High School & Middle School Championship Forensics Competition hosted by the National Speech and Debate Association.