University debate team takes on nation

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Team members furiously transcribe their opponent's argument, as the stopwatch runs down, and junior Travis Smith raises his hand to call a point of order.

The typical parliamentary-debate round lasts about 45 minutes and is a combination of six speeches, lasting four to eight minutes. Two teams with two members debate a resolution for which they have 20 minutes to prepare.

These 45-minute rounds are a culmination of hours of research, training, travel and preparation for the University's four-member debate team.

The team is made of two freshmen, English major Addison Gribbin and accounting major Michael Jones, and two juniors, economics major Alex Warren and Smith, political science and speech communication double major.

Debate coach Charles “Chuck” Walts explains an argument to prepare the team. Photo by Kamren Thompson

"We are not average people, especially because we public speak for fun," Gribbin said. "It's what we were born to do. It's thrilling. You're nervous, but you're excited. It's a really quick pace, and you're on edge. It's nothing that can be imitated." Warren said the goal for the semester is both teams get bids to compete in the national tournaments.

Currently, the team is the only team in the nation to get bids to all three round-robin tournaments, and Warren and Smith have won more rounds than any other team in the nation has debated.
Coaching the team, Dr. Charles "Chuck" Walts, assistant professor of speech communications, started debating at Abilene Cooper High School. He said participating in debate teaches unparalleled skills.

"I like strategizing about arguments and manipulating those arguments on the playing board of debate," he said. "We are always on the cutting edge of any news event or development around the world."
The team members said they give a lot of the credit for their success to Walts.

"As a coach, he is actually our primary advantage over other teams," Warren said. "The fact that we are this competitive is really just because Chuck is incredibly brilliant. It's a little bit mind blowing to me how consistently he can anticipate what the others teams are going to do and prepare us for that and the strategies he can come up with."

Jordan Innerarity is the team's graduate assistant coach. He debated for the University last semester after debating for Lindale High School and Tyler Junior College.

"I joined the UT Tyler debate team because I love the activity," Innerarity said. "I have learned a lot from Chuck, and I knew when I graduated last May I had more to learn."

Freshman Addison Gribbin, along side her debate partner, freshman Michael Jones, asks her opponent a question during a debate round at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, on Nov. 19. Photo by Kamren Thompson

Inside the lion's den

Walking into the debate room, one might think the tightly-packed trophy case had exploded, as about 30 trophies sit atop almost every available surface. Another unexpected sight sitting in the corner of the room is the large cream-colored sofa overlaid with blankets and pillows.

The debaters practically live in the room, spending an average of 10 to12 hours every week preparing for tournaments.

The team sits at the large conference table, scattered with debate files, at least once a week to discuss assignments and upcoming tournaments.

The team travels to tournaments on Thursdays and returns on Mondays throughout the semester.
Preparation for the competition takes extensive research and training, in addition to the time actually spent at tournaments.

Junior debate team Alex Warren and Travis Smith write down their opponents speech during a round. Photo by Kamren Thompson

Warren said he spends three to four hours per day preparing for the 45-minute rounds.

"We try to be more informed than other teams on most issues," Warren said. "Specifically in things we have an advantage in anyway. I'm an economics major, so I would find it kind of embarrassing if I didn't have a better idea as to the unemployment level."

The team members also practice speaking speed drills, which train them to enunciate and speak more clearly and quickly.

"A lot of it is just reading news articles as quickly as you can, and you can read it backwards or read it with the word ‘wow' or ‘o' or ‘u' (after each word) or put a pencil in your mouth and read," Gribbin said. "It's to help you enunciate. It's teaching and training your mouth to speak quickly and clearly for a long amount of time."

It is necessary to speak quickly in order to make as many arguments as possible in the allotted time, which ranges from four to eight minutes.

Despite the immense amount of time the team members dedicate to the competition, none of them said they regret the choice.

Graduate assistant coach Jordan Innerarity and freshman Addison Gribbin sort through Pilot G-2 pens to find the fine-tipped pens. The G-2 pen is one essential item in the debate survival kit, which also includes items like stop watches, legal paper, a water bottle and a laptop. Photo by Kamren Thompson.

"I feel like people that are actually committed are born to do it because it takes so much commitment," Gribbin said. "Debate is a sport. We compete just like any other sport, only we don't tackle people. It would be kind of nice if we could though." Jones said the time commitment is necessary.

"If you want to be great at the game, then you have to put the time in it," Jones said. "I think I could probably get away with debate and not put the time in it that I am. I just wouldn't be good."
Traveling is one of largest time expenditures for the team members, who have traveled about 13,000 miles this semester.

"I'm tired of airports," Warren said. "I don't like going through security. I don't like planes. I'm tired of peanuts. That part takes a toll. There are definitely downsides to this. I am still very pleased with it, regardless. It's still worth the tradeoff for me."
However, the debaters aren't the only ones preparing for tournaments. Walts spends hours researching the topic areas, in addition to organizing the team's traveling plans and practice schedules.

Freshman Michael Jones (foreground) and junior Travis Smith work on the Member of the Government and Leader of the Opposition speeches during 40 minutes they were given to prepare for two 45-minute debate rounds at the Washburn University tournament in Topeka, Kansas, on Nov. 19. Photo by Kamren Thompson.

Innerarity also assists the team by helping Walts organize travel paperwork, practice rounds and research assignments. He also judges debate rounds at the tournaments. "I basically do whatever is needed to be done to ensure we are well-prepared for the tournaments," Innerarity said.

Another issue that affects time commitment is the size of the team, which is relatively small compared to some competitors.
Warren said a drawback to its size is research limitations.
"In some ways, it puts us in a disadvantage," Warren said. "There are teams like Washburn that roll 30 people deep, and we are working research assignments during the week. There is going to come a time in the season where I'm going to be writing 100 to 200 pages a week; whereas at Washburn, they will be writing 10-20 pages a week."

However, Walts said he is happy with the size of the team.
"I like a small tight-knit squad," Walts said. "For us, it's primarily a logistics concern. We have a problem in that our location doesn't lend itself to a large team. The more people I have, the prices go up exponentially. Also, the more people you have, the more time it takes to practice."
Walts has experience with teams of various sizes in his 11 years of coaching experience.

After graduating from Abilene Cooper High School, Walts continued to debate at Abilene Christian University, where he received his graduate degree. He received his master's degree at Eastern New Mexico University, while serving as graduate assistant coach for the debate team.

He also served as graduate assistant coach at Southern Illinois University, where he completed his doctorate. Walts last taught at William Jewell College before coming to the University in 2009.

"It's an activity that brings me a lot of satisfaction and personal fulfillment," he said. "It's the only game that truly puts one person's wits against someone else's. This (game) is based on your ability to create."

Like Walts and Innerarity, all of the team members started debating in high school.

The debate team, coach Charles Walts, Addison Gribbin, seen here in the “ugly hat,” Michael Jones, Travis Smith, Alex Warren and graduate assistant coach Jordan Innerarity, work quickly during the 20-minute preparation time before a round. Photo by Kamren Thompson.

Gribbin attended Ennis High School, and Jones attended North Lamar High School in Paris. Smith attended Palestine High School, and Warren attended Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler.

"Debate in high school was one of the few opportunities to engage in an academic competition against people external to my school, which was probably why I did it," Warren said. "I wanted more people to beat, which is why I'm competing now-the broadest possible pool to measure myself against."
Every member of the gregarious team is pursing a career that benefits from debate.

Gribbin wants to go into a facet of law. "In a courtroom, if I'm defending someone, I need to be able to predict what they're going to say," Gribbin said. "It's for critical thinking and being able to produce well-thought-out arguments quickly."

Jones said he hopes to be a Certified Public Accountant, and the research he does for debate supplements his knowledge of accounting and world affairs.

Smith, who is probably the most social of the team, appropriately plans to go into foreign diplomacy or politics.

"It's helped with communication skills obviously, being able to persuade people without being aggressive," Smith said. "It's also helped me to meet a lot of people in areas where I can grow. I can build connections."

While Warren is considering developmental economics or business administration, he is also entertaining the idea of being a debate coach, which seemed fitting during the numerous times he spoke proudly of the freshmen team's success.
Innerarity plans to get a doctorate degree in speech communication and is also considering becoming a debate coach.

Like a family

The hours the debaters spend practicing in the debate room, waiting for flights and eating at very specific gas-station barbecue restaurants has created a strong bond among them.

"I like how it's a small group of us," Jones said. "I think that's important because it's like a family. We are really close. We spend virtually every weekend together and upon that, we have practice within the week. We see each other on a daily basis."

Walts agreed the current team is very close. "They are really tight," Walts said. "They develop their own jargon and jokes and way of acting around each other that are different. They really do care about what happens to each other."

He said as a result of the time the team members spend together, they have formed a number of quirks and inside jokes.
"In case you haven't noticed, we all have a few odd little quirks," Gribbin said. "We are an odd bunch indeed."
One example of this is the "ugly hat."

The member that gets the fewest speaker points, which are given by judges during rounds for various speaking skills, has to wear a brown-and-white beanie with rainbow trim. "I feel like it is a good mechanism to motivate me to better my speaker points because it's a nuisance to have to keep up with it and wear it, and people say it's ugly," Gribbin said.

Walts said the hat motivates the team to succeed.  "The ugly hat is an inducement to perform better," he said. "If you don't want to wear the hat, you debate better."

An example of one of the team's inside jokes has to do with honey badgers, described by Warren as a terrifying, organic, killing machine that destroys anything in its path. "The whole team is scared of honey badgers," Smith said. "If you don't know why, YouTube it."

Walts often joins in on the humor, teasing the team's picky eaters about dinner plans. At one point, he drove around the parking lot of two locations, but wouldn't actually parking, to keep the team in frustrated anticipation about the final choice.

Smith said friendships also grow with students from other universities through the tournaments.
"The debate community is very friendly, very open and accepting," Smith said. "We see each other on a weekly basis. You kind of have to be friendly, or else you are just going to hate every weekend."

The art of debate

To the average person, regular debate rounds are 45 minutes of almost inaudible $5 words. Debaters have to train themselves in a number of facets to keep up.

The members said the rounds might be difficult to follow for someone without debate experience.

"We have a lot of debate jargon, names of types of arguments," Gribbin said. "A lot of it is strategy and technical. They may be able to follow some of the ideas of the arguments, but it might be confusing to someone who doesn't know the lingo."
Smith said there are literally hundreds of terms, and part of succeeding is learning what they are and how to use them.

"We have link turns, uniquess, nonuniquess, perm, impacts, RBI, plan plan, counter plan, plan plus, plan inclusive, dispostionality, conditionality, unconditionality," Smith said.
Walts said debate depends heavily on strategy, not necessarily facts, saying there is no ultimate truth.

"Everything can be proven suspect with an argument," Walts said. "There is no truth, I think, is what I wish somebody would have told me very quickly." Warren agreed with Walts and said speed is also a necessary component of debate.

"It's not a truth-seeking activity," he said. "I can't say, ‘I won because I was on the right side, and it's just a fact.' It's how I apply the facts. It's not a perfect system in that regard. The delivery, the speed issue makes it hard to translate."

Warren said they speak about 300 words per minute during each speech, which is five words per second.
Warren said, however, the general ideas of debate rounds are reasonable.

"I think the broad concepts are relatable, the general topic," he said. "For instance, one of the topics we had this past weekend involved raising the minimum age for Social Security. People have some grasp of the Social Security system."

Another thing debaters gain from the activity is confidence. Jones said he gets nervous sometimes; but once he gets into the round, it goes away. "It's just like something hits you, and you're in the middle of a battle," he said. "It's a unique experience." Walts said while participating in debate, members learn the "survival skills of life."

"It also teaches them critical thinking skills, the ability to organize their thoughts; so when they get out in the world, they have an ability to out present competitors around them and impress their bosses," he said. "Literally, every tool I think you need to survive in the world, you get taught in debate." Walts said while the team makes sacrifices like forgoing spring break to prepare for the national tournament, the knowledge and skills gained are priceless.

"Educationally, they gain a level of knowledge about the world around them and global issues that is unparalleled," he said. "They learn so much about issues in the world that it is the literally the epitome of a liberal arts degree."