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Winning students say preparation was key to championship
November 07, 2009
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| With the match on the line, several university students - hearts beating rapidly, hands sweating profusely - give it their all as they try to put away their opponents from a rival school in the finals. This isn’t a college baseball or football game. It’s the final round of the fifth Korea Intervarsity Debating Association (KIDA) National Championship, which was held this year at Ewha Womans University. To succeed in this competition, teams must present convincing, bulletproof arguments in English for or against a specified topic, persuading judges to take their point of view over the opposing team’s. The initial rounds of the competition, dubbed KNC, took place on Oct. 30 and 31, leading to the finals last Sunday. The championship debate came down to a “Yon-Ko jeon,” the name given to sports games between the longtime rivals Yonsei University and Korea University. The Yonsei team, called UU A, consisted of Jang Won-jun, Yoo Min-jae and Song Na-young, while the Korea A team from Korea University consisted of Kang Ji-su, Shin Jae-yong and Kim Eun-song. The debate topic revolved around the death penalty for sexual crimes committed against children - a timely issue in light of the controversy surrounding the case of Cho Du-sun, who brutally raped an 8-year-old girl. The finalists had to persuade a majority of the seven judges, which included senior members of KIDA and college professors, to side with their position. The Yonsei team argued in favor of the death penalty for sexual crimes against children, while the Korea University team debated against it. After a lively debate, UU A from Yonsei took the title in a nail-biter, receiving four votes versus three for Korea A. Members of the UU A team said a lot of up-front work helped them win the championship. “We spent a lot of time preparing for this tournament,” Song said. “We practiced not only individually, but we also prepared case files together and gathered as a team at least twice a week leading up to the event and every day during the week before the competition.” Getting to the finals, however, was still a difficult feat, as team members said this year’s competition was particularly challenging. “The overall standard and quality of the participants were very high,” Yoo said. “I was surprised because we had a very hard time in the preliminary rounds and didn’t even expect to make it this far.” Jang and Yoo from UU A are well known in debating circles, as they were representatives from Korea in international competitions during their high school years. They were even selected to go to the World Schools Debating Championship, where they made it into the late rounds before bowing out. The KIDA competition isn’t just for those who can speak English at a very high level or for those who have a long track record in debate. Rounds for rookies and those who speak English as a second language are also held. This year’s EFL round for those with limited English was between two Seoul National University teams, SNUDA B and SNUDA E. It focused on the issue of whether to raise the legal drinking age for minors. SNUDA E won the event. “The EFL and rookie rounds give hope for debaters like me,” said Na Duk-joong of SNUDA E, who is both a rookie in the debate world and also speaks English as a second language. “There are so many debaters who lived abroad and simply can’t compete as well because of the language barrier.” The Seoul National debate squads incorporate extensive education programs and group sessions along with teaching materials put together by members themselves, so even rookies and students who studied English domestically are able to learn about the “art of persuasion” that debate requires. “I joined to become more fluent in English before entering law school, but I gained so much more than just language skills,” Na said. “I was not only able to socialize with other students from various schools, but I even received an award. It was the perfect graduation present for me.” KIDA itself is exclusively focused on promoting English debating in Korea. Because it is organized and run by students themselves, there are plenty of social gatherings and after-parties to melt away the rigidness that typically accompanies these types of organizations. It can sometimes be challenging for those in charge of organizing the events. “The planning had to be very thorough so that none of the debaters or affiliated persons felt discomfort,” said Roh Doh-hee of the Ewha Debating Society and organizer of the fifth KNC. “I had to get the permission from not only our school for a place to hold the tournaments but also send out proposals and e-mails to get support and sponsorships for every part of the tournament, including the social events.” KIDA, founded in 2006, consists of more than 500 students from 13 universities and 17 debating societies from all over the country and continues to grow. As for the KNC competition, participants must follow strict rules and regulations. The distinct style used in the event is called “Asian Parliamentary Debate Style,” which requires three members of each team to fight for their position for or against a particular “motion.” This most recent event included 63 teams from 14 institutions. The next KNC will be held in the spring, though the host school has not yet been chosen. Ahead of that event, Korean debaters will participate in international tournaments such as the North East Asian Open, held in Beijing from Nov. 27 to 29, and the Worlds, held in Istanbul, Turkey from Dec. 27 to Jan. 3. For more information on the KNC and KIDA, visit www.aboutknc.org. By Hannah Kim Contributing writer [estyle@joongang.co.kr] The UU A team from Yonsei University stands up to debate the Korea University team’s arguments at the fifth KIDA National Championship held Nov. 1 at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. By Hannah Kim |
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